Obrumbrata
by Mouse-Mouse
Summary: More serious [ha!] take on Pokemon Colosseum. Even where there the sun shines brightest, the darkest shadows gather in the Orre desert. Can two unlikely heroes really restore the balance, or will hearts remain forever cold? [Eventual WesxRui]
1. Going Out With A Bang

. o b r u m b r a t a .

Author's Note: Yes, I realise this has been done very (_very!_) well by other authors before me. I simply don't feel there's quite _enough_ Pokémon Colosseum out there, and I wanted a base fic with which to refer to when writing the few one shots I'm no doubt going to end up writing. No doubt WesxRui ones. This will stick quite rigidly to the plot but extra conversations, one or two extra scenarios (non major), a sexier Nascour (you know you want him) and the like included as well as delving into character's minds. It's a bad habit. :)

I apologise in advance for any extremist sticklers; I am in higher classes for English and it is my mother tongue, but neither punctuation nor grammar was ever my strong point. And I have a love of ellipsis and semicolons. Oh, and strange noises like 'FZZT'.

Rated Tdue toviolence, some harsh language and mature themes in later chapters (nothing too heavy, I promise)

Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo. I'm just...borrowing (yes, let's go with that) the characters and such to join in with those out to do the first Pokémon 3D RPG some justice.

* * *

Chapter 1 – Going Out With A Bang

Peace and quiet.

Blissful, sweet near-silence. One of the only good things about this Ho-oh forsaken desert.

With little but the hush of wind against towering canyon walls and hollow echoes of far off Pokémon cries. Only him, his bike, his Pokémon and his smokes - "FZZZZZZZT- Wes! FZZZZZT- where the hell are you! –FZT- three hours ago, Gonzap's goin' –FZTFZZT- crazy! –FZZZZZT-" With a low 'tch' of annoyance, the sandy haired teen straddling the bike picked up the communicator and threw it into a nearby rock. The Umbreon taking shelter from the blistering heat of the desert lands of Orre gave a soft murmur of appreciation.

"Umbree," he smirked in reply, taking a long drag from the cigarette held between two gloved fingers and exhaling before throwing it to the floor. The air above the engine shimmered with the rising heat from the four twin cylinder heads, a long flared exhaust pipe reaching upwards from each one as if the bike were reaching up to the sunlight. A few of the exhausts were higher or lower than the others, though on the whole the beast was well cared for, despite needing another lick of paint.

An Espeon leapt without a sound onto the rock to his left, casting a purple gaze curiously at the smashed radio. The sun glinted off the jewel on the Pokémon's forehead, dark lashes shielding his eyes, the mysterious look it gave him apt when seen with his master.

'Success, sir.' The teen nodded, pushing his large sunglasses up a little from falling off the end of his nose, resting on the white strip running across his face. The lavender Pokémon pounced into the red side car decorated with purple flames, the paint having faded and flaked a little in the brutal heat. His dark brother shook as he sat up, dislodging sand from sleek black fur.

"C'mon." Placing a circular disc with a Pokéball design on it into a pocket of his rich blue trench coat, the human lead Umbreon further into Eclo Canyon, back the way Espeon had come. A lone Skarmory flew above in the clear blue, heading towards a ramshackle building tucked into the rock wall, the metal bird circling twice and then flying in another direction. The teenager reached into the pocket with the detonator, pressing the blue half of the Pokéball shape.

The ground trembled; a boom breaking the quiet like a giant gunshot, debris flying through the air as smoke and gas billowed from ruptured pipes. The boy and his dark partner wasted no time in swiftly climbing up to the gaping wound left in the second story wall, boulders having fallen from the sides of the canyon providing an easy route. Dust and smog blew past them, Umbreon coughing and turning his head away while his master pulled a strange red and blue contraption from a stand, tucking it under one arm and tapping the Pokémon's ear as he passed, signalling their get away.

Barely had they run halfway across the forecourt back to the concealed vehicle when the main doors to the building clanged apart, a tall and broad shouldered man sprinting out with half a dozen grunts behind him. Long, gravity-defying eyebrows and a moustache zigzagged upwards as he bellowed curse words and insults.

"WES! You'll never get away with this! We'll hunt you down like the dog you are! Hunt you down and make you wish you'd never been born! Do you hear me!" the boy and Umbreon joined Espeon on the hover cycle, gunning the engine and speeding off with a middle finger raised in reply. As soon as they were almost out onto open desert again, Wes pulled the detonator out once more, pressing the red half this time. The ground shook again, more violently this time, as the shockwave of the second larger blast tore out, taking a large portion of the building and at least twenty goons with it.

Wes couldn't help but grin as the bike zoomed along at breakneck speeds through the scorched land, putting a good distance between him and the enraged Tauros that was Gonzap. That would give the muscle head something to think about.

'Sir, there is a small bar four miles further south, south-west. It would be a good place to catch our breath.' Umbreon gave a cheeky grin.

'You tired bro?' Espeon fixed him with a disdainful look.

'I wasn't addressing you, I was addressing sir.'

'Hey, Wezzles is fine, ain't cha buddy?' the teen chuckled and shook his head at the twins. He couldn't imagine life without them, having been with them since before Gonzap...before Gonzap _found_ him, took him under his wing and decided to turn him into a little ball of cold rage. The colder you were in Team Snagem, the better snagger you were, and Wes was the best. He never questioned why he had to snag other's Pokémon, he figured they weren't worthy or something. The Pokémon he caught were sent away and rarely came back and he was instructed to catch more.

He wished they never came back at all.

He'd seen one recently, a sweet little Torchic he'd captured about a month ago and had nuzzled his hand when he let her out to make sure she met standards. She was in a small cage, huddled up in one corner with those beautiful big warm eyes staring out. Except they weren't so beautiful and warm any more. They were cold and empty and she stared at Wes with nothing short of confusion and fear.

Funny, he thought he'd lost his heart. He thought he'd lost it the second he saw _her_ lying there, blood flowing through the cracks of the alley floor, eyes glazed and dead boring into him. He'd felt it freeze and over the years whither away.

He'd made the decision there and then not to stay any longer. He didn't know what was happening to those Pokémon, and in honesty, he didn't want to know what could make such a happy little Torchic become a cold empty shell, as long as no more suffered thanks to him.

'Sir, we are about to collide with that rather solid looking rock, it would be wise to divert our course to the left in order to avoid such an event.' Honey eyes blinked in surprise, the bike veering sharply to the left just before hitting the aforementioned obstacle. Out of the heat haze ahead, a bronze locomotive appeared; a few wheels and other things lodged in the sand around it.

"Sorry guys, I was just thinking" Espeons gaze lingered on Wes for a moment as they pulled up outside the small diner.

'Alright! Let's get some grub!' Umbreon leapt out of the side car, darting up the ramp and into the air conditioned interior.

'Sir...' moving his large silver sunshades to the top of his head, Wes followed the psychic's gaze to a green open-top truck. A large sand coloured sack wriggled in the back. Kidnapping, by amateurs seeing as how they'd stopped for food and left their prize to die from dehydration and suffocation.

"Fwaah! We sure pigged out, eh?" Two men sauntered down the ramp leading inside, the one with orange and blonde hair patting his stomach with a grin. "I love chowing down after a job! It adds to the flavour, I swear." The second one with green hair hidden under a blue hat placed his hands on his hips with a satisfied smirk.

"Heheheh, yeah. And we bagged ourselves a great big catch too. Boss'll be sure to fix us up good with big rewards. Heheheh, it doesn't get any better than this!" The green haired one got in the drivers side, starting up the engine as the other clambered in. Espeon's hackles were still raised when they were gone and he was following his master into Outskirt Stand, a small wooden sign being abused by the wind telling him the name.

'Pfft, take your time why don't you?' Wes fought the urge to roll his eyes, unaware of the bartender's suspicious look. To the average person, Wes was a little out of the ordinary; he was obviously an aloof young man, though retained a coy boyish look about him with light sandy coloured hair, almost dragon like gold eyes, a white stripe across his face like war paint which contrasted sharply with his warm, sun darkened skin and a fondness for materials that didn't look suited to the heat. Yet he never once overheated.

His only argument to Umbreon's comments was that if something happened to him whilst the bike was doing over eighty miles per hour and he found he was no longer riding said vehicle, it would at least stop his skin from being shred to ribbons upon inevitable collision with the ground.

And it was comfortable, thank you very much.

A man in a pink shirt slurped noisily on a blue fruit slushy beside him, Wes directing a slight frown at the noise-maker.

"I haven't seen your face around these parts before, a traveller I take it?" The bartender was a bull of a man, tall and broad shouldered with deep red hair and beard...and a rather intriguing hat and apron. Umbreon was somewhere behind the teen, entranced by the green-then-red-then-green glowing jukebox standing against the left wall. The bar was right by the entrance, a giant rotating cog at the other end. On the right wall were two seating booths with a long tinted window which kindly faced away from the sun. Wes gave a vague nod at the question "Fair enough, kid. So, what can I get you?"

"A chocolate milkshake, cola – hold the ice – and a glass of mineral water...with a straw, and one for the milkshake" He answered as Espeon selected a drink for both Pokémon. Handing over a few bills and telling the bartender to keep the change, the ex-snagger made his way to the vacant far booth, sinking into the creaky green leather with a grateful sigh. The orange pipe work was not helping his headache and that annoying glow from the music maker was apparently its faithful ally, but it was a relief to be out of the heat. Umbreon had lost interest in the 'glowing-ness' and sat expectantly beside Espeon, waiting for his milkshake. They didn't have to wait long before a red haired girl carried them over on a wooden tray, her apron matching the bartender's own curious fashion piece.

'So...' Umbreon began, pausing to sip his drink that had been quickly delivered 'what do we do now?' The teen shrugged, leaning back in the seat and rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand. The psychic glanced at the snag machine, bound by a simple off-white cloth.

'...I'm open to suggestion'

'We train. We become as strong as we can possibly become, and then we become saviours. We take out Gonzap, permanently.' Espeons voice, whether heard in the mind or not, was dark and firm. 'With all due respect of course, sir.' Wes couldn't remember when Espeon had begun to call him Sir, or how many times he'd told the Pokémon not to before accepting it. If anyone else called him that, he'd feel highly uncomfortable, but it had become Espeon's pet name for him, much like 'Wezzles'.

Except far less embarrassing.

'Sounds like a plan.'

'Indeed. It was intended to be such...Look at the news.' The lavender psychic motioned to the large screen beside the jukebox. A woman in a short-sleeve blue dress held a microphone to her mouth, staring into the camera, taking her que from the previous newsreader.

"Thank you, Mike. Authorities have made a stunning announcement on the mysterious building that exploded in Eclo Canyon. It was the hideout of the notorious band of Pokémon thieves, Team Snagem. The hideout was discovered only as a result of the explosion, but by the time police arrived, the ruined building was completely abandoned, only the bodies of those caught in the blast remaining. The cause of the explosion is still under intense investigation. We hope to bring you more on this story-"

'It would be most wise of us to lay low for a time until this has at least dulled somewhat.' Wes nodded, eyes glancing at the picture of the ruined hideout over the rim of his cola glass as he took a deep gulp. 'Stop thinking about mass murder, sir, it's most inappropriate at the table.' The teen arched an eyebrow in response.

Hmmm...He needed another cigarette.

* * *

Author's Note: And thus ends the first installement and begins the rollarcoaster Wes is unknowingly boarding. Poor Wezzles. Feedback is well appreciated, though if you hate it for whatever reason, be constructive in yourcriticism to help me improve. Thank you. huggles 

EDIT: Alas! The formatting is ruined (what little there was x-x) and I still can't put in exclaimation marks next to question marks.


	2. The Devil's Smile

. o b r u m b r a t a .

Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews! I shall give you...um...Wes plushies! (yay!) And this has been added to two C2...thingys! My, I do feel loved

I'm afraid I won't be updating for a little while as my GSCE final exams are in less than three weeks and I'm shoulder-deep in revision and coursework _and_ I'm moving country (back to the country next-door where I came from but that's quite beside the point ) x – x

But! There is a ten week holiday after that, so hopefully I'll have the computer set up quickly in the new house and be able to update more frequently. I'm toying with the idea of an animation/trailer like thing too, and I might even put up a couple of the little doodles I have too. That is if I don't hit another art-block (or writer's-block!).

Well enough of me, enjoy chapter 2!

Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo. I'm just...borrowing (yes, let's go with that) the characters and such to try and do the first Pokémon 3D RPG some justice.

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Chapter 2 – The Devil's Smile

With a loud belch, Umbreon announced he was finished, Espeon also drinking the remainder of his mineral water before following his brother trailing after their blue coated master. The heat washed over them in a familiar wave as they stepped into the open air, the dark Pokémon walking in Wes' shadow. Umbreon sniffed the bottle of ice cold water in his owners hand; realising it was in case either Pokémon got too hot and dehydrated and would no doubt result in a water fight, Umbreon yipped and licked the teen's knuckles, wagging his tail.

The brother's were always glad they had Wes, having seen that not all trainers were as thoughtful and caring when it came to their Pokémon. He never forced them to fight, he always made sure they were healthy and clean (even though Umbreon hated being brushed because he was insanely ticklish), that they had plenty of food and water and that they felt loved.

Secretly, Wes liked hugs and snuggles.

They had every reason not to trust humans and they _didn't_ trust all humans, but Wes had raised them from eggs when he was only young himself; he was their tall and tail-less brother. Umbreon smiled to himself and nuzzled the teen's leg, nearly toppling him over with a little too much zeal. Gold met red in a brief questioning glance and an apologetic grin.

They'd protect him to their dying moments and beyond, and the dark Pokémon was sure he must know as he was fiercely protective of them too.

'That's very deep for you, brother.' Umbreon glared at the psychic who stared calmly back.

'Stop reading my thoughts, damnit!'

'I do apologise.'

Footsteps sounded on the metal behind them, a pink haired young man running out of Outskirt Stand in pursuit.

"Yo! Wait! Wait up!" Wes turned to look at him with a cold stare, giving fair warning that he wasn't in the mood for conversation. Undeterred, the stranger grinned broadly. "Hey, my name's Willie-"

'-and you look quite silly.' Umbreon sang, earning a tap on the ear and a playful frown from Wes.

"-After I got a good look at you, well, I got this urge to battle you. It's like I'm compelled to. Anyway I look at it, it's obvious that you're no ordinary Joe. So what do you say? Let's you and me have a quick battle!" Wes was tempted to merely say no and move away from the strange boy. However, he hadn't been able to enjoy a good battle in quite a while without the pressure of having to watch out for the Pokémon he was to snag. Maybe it would give him a chance to unwind.

"...Alright, you're on."

"Yeahah! That's the spirit! Over here, this way!" Willie virtually skipped into place, Wes beginning to question him severely, the pink haired challenger stopping and turning to face the ex-snagger in front of Outskirt Stand. "Yeeeeeeah! I'm burning now! I'm on fire!"

'...oh...my...Mew...He forgot suntan lotion. In the Orre desert. What a twit.' Espeon thwacked his brother across the back of the head with his tail, otherwise unmoving as he sat patiently at Wes' feet.

'Umbles? Shut up'

'If you insist, Wezzles.'

"It's full throttle time! Vrum! Vroooom! Let's roll!" His opponent merely stared at him for a moment with his arms folded across his chest, a bewildered expression on his face. 'Did that mean go?' "Get 'em Zig and Zag!" out of the Pokéballs Willie held out burst two unevolved forms of Linoone. Wes nodded, Umbreon and Espeon stepping forward calmly to face the Zigzagoons. "Zig, tackle Umbreon, Zag, get Espeon!" The two spiky racoon-like Pokémon, covered in stiff spiky fur, gave cute little calls and raced towards their targets.

"Espeon, reflect and dodge, Umbreon use your head and bite." Zag collided with an invisible wall as Espeon leapt elegantly to the side, circling her with fluid grace. Umbreon stood his ground and brought his head down hard as Zig attacked, smacking heads with the smaller Pokémon and then biting into his shoulder. The male Zigzagoon howled and wriggled free, limping quickly backwards, only to have the other hit him from the side as Espeon used confusion on Wes' order. Zig got up shakily, his bite wound bleeding, Zag following suit though she looked dazed.

"Whoa!" Willie breathed, feeling a little anxious under the glare of those almost scary amber eyes. "That was clo-"

"Finish it!" With a fierce cry, both Eevee evolutions charged, attacking before the opponent could even begin to realise they'd moved. Zig and Zag were both knocked back again, hitting the ground hard and staying down.

Willie blinked in surprise. It had been obvious this guy was good, but not _that_ good. Quickly checking that Zig and Zag were alright, if very tired, he returned them to their Pokéballs with a kind word of praise.

"Tch...Wiped out, I still need seasoning" he grinned nevertheless, setting his arms akimbo. "But yeah, you're tough. Real tough. You did a real number on us. Hey, I know, why not test your skills in Phenac City? It's out west of here; you'll find trainers who are way tougher than me there. You should go out and get some battling in."

'Pfft, we're not the ones who lost.' Umbreon earned another thwack from Espeon's tail for that remark.

"Yeah, I might just do that, see you around."

"Later!" The trio walked back to the parked hover cycle, Wes pulling his shades down.

'Sir, that vehicle that was previously here set off in a westerly direction. Though they were not of Team Snagem, do you think it wise to follow so closely?'

'Don't worry about it; we'll probably overtake them anyway.' Espeon gave a slight nod, sitting beside Umbreon who had somehow gotten hold of a pair of bronze coloured aviator goggles with the chin strap loose. The dark brother flashed an insane grin as the bike roared to life, the stand retracting as the hover motors whirred into effect. The rear tire dug into the gritty sand and propelled them forwards, the speedometer settling on a comfortable ninety miles per hour, rising a little above it as the sun moved lower in the sky. Within the next six hours, the desert would become a glittering wasteland of bitter cold winds and Wes didn't want to be outside in it. It would take at least an hour to get to the next town Wes guessed, even though they were going at high speeds.

Orre was an immensely vast desert, and towns had simply sprung up as and where people were and where they could get good resources. Unless you had some form of transportation, you were stuck where you were born for life. Attempting to walk from one town to another was a madman's suicide; if the heat didn't cook you from the inside out or you didn't get frozen like a human Popsicle at night, the 'sand beasts' would get you. It used to be a myth that mother's told their children to stop them straying too far into the desert. Though all myths and stories are based on truths.

It went that the sand beasts lived around the Devil's Maw, a cavern that was rumoured to go right into the centre of the earth itself and got its name because of the eerie red glow from within. This wasn't caused by fire however, merely light refraction from beautiful crystals within. The rocks around it were treacherous and impassable and shaped like giant jagged teeth rising from the ground. When viewed from above, and when the area wasn't assaulted by storms – which was rare – the top of the cavern did indeed resemble a snarling face with its fiery throat and razor teeth. It lay far to the North, past Mt. Battle into a wasteland region that was uninhabitable by humans and thus unpopulated by anything but Pokémon. Despite its distance, the mother's warned that the beasts were creatures of the sand itself and could travel through it from place to place faster than a Rapidash can gallop at full speed. It worked, and the fear was so well installed in the children that they grew up fearing the tale and told it to their children, no longer as a myth but as accepted truth. It would certainly explain the disappearances at least.

'Do you guys see what I see?' Umbreon piped up a while later, the sun having sunk lower in the sky and the passengers drifting off every so often. The Pokémon pulled off his goggles as they slowed, approaching a white-washed wall protectively curving around a city. There was water everywhere, running round the tops of the walls, over the top of a large dome at the far raised end, large fountains dotted about and statues gurgling water; a city built on an oasis with the palm trees reaching high into the sky. Checking the cycle into a private parking lot so it would be safe until his return, the teen allowed himself a smirk upon noticing that even the top brand sports cars didn't look as powerful or - though this wasn't a good thing to everyone - dangerous. Tucking the snag machine under his arm, still wrapped in a cloth, Wes wondered if he should simply put it on instead.

It wasn't like anyone would know what it was...

Leaning on the bike, he slipped the red and blue machine over his coat, feeling it tighten to fit his arm with unnerving artificial intelligence; comforting and yet disturbingly serpentine, like a python curling around his arm in place of a branch for support, not to crush and to kill. Rotating his shoulder to make sure the blood circulation hadn't been cut off, the teen walked towards the small plaza preceding the main square with his two partners following. Wes gave the cycle a last glance to be sure it would be safe; he loved that thing like another one of the team. The day he'd stepped into the garage a little way north of the hideout and met Tony, the mechanic, he'd found a new passion other than Pokémon.

Tony had been a good guy, a little crazy and got electrocuted and dropped wrenches on his toes and toyed with running radiator fans a lot but overall easy to get along with. He'd looked upon Wes as a second son, his first having died 'being a nit and trying to climb the wall of Fiery Canyon'. Under the watchful eye of the dark blonde, he'd learnt everything there was to know about machines until finally managing to build his own bike with Tony's help. Tony had dubbed her 'Sheila' after his spitfire of a wife who somehow tolerated him, simply giving a smirk and a look whenever he did something stupid. Again.

'Once more, sir, I fear you're zoning out on us.' Wes frowned at Espeon 'Just an observation-'

'Hey! It's the guys who were in the diner! Nit-twits almost trod on me when I went in!' Umbreon gave an indignant huff. He didn't like being almost stepped on.

The red and yellow haired man and the one with green hair and a hat were in a shadowed corner by their parked vehicle, struggling with a large wiggling sack. Wes was tempted to believe that the latter was sweltering wearing a thick hat like that in this heat, but he didn't really hold much of an argument when he thought of what he was wearing himself.

"Hey, what are you doing? Get a grip, man!" The aforementioned hat-man couldn't seem to keep hold of the bag, glaring at the partial blonde in frustration.

"Yeah, you say that, but this..." He grumbled and shifted his grip again "It won't stop squirming. Make's it tough to hold on to." Both Pokémons' ears twitched up as a muffled squeak came from the wriggling package. "Okay, okay, settle down in there. Just keep quiet a little longer" Wes gave an inward smirk as his earlier thoughts were confirmed, he'd seen enough kidnappings to know one when he saw one. At least their captive was still alive. Approaching the two men, he heard a girl's voice suddenly call out in fear.

"mgflpmmmgg...Beh! Help! Someone let me out! _Kidnappers_!" The two men exchanged worried glances

"Tch! That tape didn't keep her bloody yap shut! Hey! Quit your shouting or I'll have to knock you out girly!" the man with two colours in his hair and a greenish blue tank top suddenly looked up at Wes who was staring coldly at them with his arms folded, Umbreon and Espeon standing at either side, eyes narrowed and teeth bared.

"Shit! I think that punk heard us!" He hissed at the other, still struggling. Both dropped the kidnapped girl who gave an 'oof!' and then a groan, the hatless one stepping forwards "Bad luck, kid! Since you heard us, we gotta shut you up permanently, understand?" he pulled two Pokéballs from his belt and threw them out, releasing two Whismurs. Barely restraining a snort of laughter, Wes let Umbreon and Espeon step forward to accept the challenge.

"By the way, name's Folly. Might want to remember it! Double supersonic!" Both usually quiet and timid Pokémon lifted their ears and inhaled deeply through their ear canals as a high pitched scream filled the air, all three humans and the two Pokémon covering their ears.

"Espeon!" Wes shouted over the noise "Stop them!" The lavender Pokémon's eyes glowed a fierce purple, the noise cut short as both Whismur were flung up high into the air and then thrown into the ground. Before they could begin to cry again, Wes quickly ordered Umbreon to taunt them into attacking. He was lucky neither had been confused, he didn't have any Persim berries on hand to undo it. The female Whismur pounded Umbreon on the snout for his taunt, the dark Pokémon biting down hard on her ear in retaliation, releasing and darting back before she could return the favour. "Finish her off, Umbreon!"

"_Umbree!_"

Espeon's raised tail quivered, detecting the male Whismurs next move through air currents and easily dodging it. He delivered a fast attack from the side, covering the ten foot gap within a second and sending the now unconscious opponent skittering across the stone pavement. The female collapsed with a final tackle, the man recalling both after a short stunned silence. 'Yeah, because Whismur are _so_ dangerous' Wes thought with sarcasm coating each word.

"Gaah! You're tougher than you look! You took out both my Whismur like it was nothing at all...you're no ordinary trainer, are you!" Folly lowered his dark sunglasses and stared into golden eyes. "...Wait a sec...those eyes...could you be team Snagem's...-"

"What's going on here?" A sporty looking kid in a blue shirt and yellow shorts came running over from seemingly no where, a lady in a pink suit just behind him. The brunette woman took one look at the two shady characters, as after all, Wes had been dubbed as 'biker-rebel-hottie-rawr' and thus not shady, and let out a high pitched squeal not unlike that of the Whismur. The teen felt his headache give a defiant throb. _'Yes I'm here, I'm annoying and I'm not going away! Woo!'_

"Eeek! Somebody! Robbers, they're _robbers_!" The one with a blue hat made a weird whiney noise in his throat and flailed at her desperately.

"Y-you be quiet! We're no robbers, we're kidnappers! Get it? _Kidnappers_!" The other smacked him across the head with a furious growl.

"Trudly, you lumbering idiot! Don't shoot your freakin' mouth off!" He turned and glared at Wes who was busy casting a wary look at the brunette still squealing and cutting off the blood circulation to the sporty kid's hand. "Don't get all happy just on account of winning this once. The next time we meet I'll trash you, your Pokémon and all!"

"With Whismurs? Good luck on that." Folly gave another low growl, Trudly thumping his arm and muttering something. Folly nodded reluctantly and the kidnappers beat a hasty retreat, Umbreon stopped from chasing after them by Wes's sharp order of 'No!' The two spectators had gone to the now still sack, the girl inside probably wondering what in all of Orre was going on. Or fainted from the heat. Or dead.

'That's very morbid of you, sir'

'Hmm' The kid didn't realise there was someone inside and was rather surprised that it gave a squeal of 'ouch!' when he nudged it none too gently with his foot. Wes sighed inwardly, 'idiot.' What did the kid think 'kidnapping' meant?

"Oh yuck! There's someone inside there!"

"Oh gosh, sorry! We'll have you out of there in no time!" Wes turned to leave, knowing that the girl was safe and they'd take her to the police to have her guardians telephoned and informed. He didn't particularly want to be smothered in a hug or have her saying thank you for 'rescuing' her either which he feared was going to be the case. He didn't like hugs because he wasn't a very contact-friendly person, and he did nothing but tell Umbreon and Espeon what to do in the fight, thus seeing no reason for her to be thankful to him.

'Sir? Aren't you going to see if the girl is alright?'

'Getting you two checked up at the Pokémon centre is more important to me.'

'Whilst I am flattered by your comment, sir, both of us are quite fine for the moment and I for one would like to know why the girl was captured.' Pfft, nosy little persuasive...

'I can hear you, you know.'

Damn.

"This is tied good and tight...I don't even know how to untie this sort of knot. Can you believe those people? What a terrible thing to do!" Wes frowned at the psychic before relenting and walking over. The knot was one they used often in Team Snagem and anyone who couldn't tie them couldn't untie them. With a few tugs in the right places, the rope came away easily, the lady pulling the sack off to reveal a pretty red haired girl with short spiky pigtails, her ankles and wrists tied tight. Her bright blue eyes blinked a few times, adjusting to the mid-afternoon sunlight as the lady gave a coo of comfort and gently touched her forehead to make sure the girl wasn't overheating, carefully pulling away the rest of the tape that had been over her mouth and moving her chin length bangs out of the way.

"Thank goodness, I thought I'd never get out of there." She glanced around at the streets and the fountains and the abundance of water and lack of grass or ramshackle housing. "...Where am I?"

"Phenac City, honey, the opulent city of water. Are you feeling okay?" Wes was only half listening as he untied the rope around her pink knee-high boots, Umbreon nibbling through the other bindings. Espeon purred and nuzzled the girl's cheek comfortingly, checking her vital signs; he could sense something slightly odd about her, but it was a good type of odd, something that he could trust.

"Yes, thank you" The psychic mused over her young and spirited voice, estimating her age to be around fourteen, three years younger than his master. Wes stood as Umbreon nudged the girl to her feet, straightening out her white mini skirt and stretching.

"This boy saved you from those thugs"

"The way he battled those goons, it was truly superb. I wish you could have seen it." Wes narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the sporty kid, getting worryingly strong fan-boy vibes.

'Sir, I would also like to state that thinking of mass murder in public is not appropriate either.' The girl gave a sudden giggle, Espeon and his brother staring up at her 'Sir...I do believe she just heard me.'

'Either that or she's one of those psycho random gigglers...' The girl frowned playfully at him, setting her hands on her hips.

"Hey!" Umbreon jumped and scooted behind Wes.

'Holy Mew on a _stick_! She can hear me!' The lady and sporty kid exchanged glances at the strange behaviour. The girl gave an innocent giggle, realising her 'audience' was rather bewildered.

"Um, anyway! Thank you very much, Mr..."

"Wes"

"Okay! Thank you Wes!" The girl seemed to guess that the older teen wasn't the love and cuddles type and remained in place, though she did give a polite little bow. "My name's Rui. I'm sure glad I met you! I was in the neighbouring town when those two grabbed me..." The brunette gave a little 'oh!' and patted Rui's arm sympathetically. "Oh! Those guys...did they use peculiar Pokémon?" The kid shifted his weight with a light frown

"Peculiar Pokémon? No, they looked like ordinary Whismurs to me. What do you mean exactly?" Rui became quiet and seemed a little put out.

"Oh...no...No, that's fine then."

"Well it's easy to see something's on your mind. You should go see our mayor, he's a very kindly person, I'm sure he'll be able to help you somehow. The mayor's house is near the fountain square, you'll know it as soon as you see it. Just go up the stairs here and to your left." The lady gave a warm smile.

"The mayor? Yes, that's true! The mayor might know something!" Rui blushed a little shyly and turned back to Wes, hands clasped in front of her. "Hey Wes...I know I'm imposing, but I don't have anyone else I can turn to. Please, Can I get you to escort me for I while?" His cold stare bored holes in her but she didn't look away, not once. He should have escaped when he had the chance.

"I don't think that's such a good idea."

'Wes! Where's that heart of yours gone? Look at her, she's adorable and needs someone to look after her! Just-'

'Shut up'

"Oh, but..." Rui's eyes focused on her shoes "It's getting dark and those men might come back...please, just for a little while, I'll try to keep quiet and out of your way...please?" She looked back up at him, though his gaze was fixed on something else to his right. After a pause, in which the only reason the sporty kid wasn't passing comment was because Wes didn't look like he took such comments lightly, the seventeen year old gave a tired sigh.

"Fine. But I'm not chasing you all over Phenac, only to the mayor's house."

"Thank you Wes! Eheh, I thought you might say that! If you're with me Wes, it won't matter if those guys come back again! Thank you!" She gave another little bow, barely refraining from hugging him.

"You know, you two make an attractive couple! Makes me a little envious, ahahaha-oh" The running boys laughter was cut short by a deadly amber glare. Wes didn't even want to guess who the fan-boy was envious of.

Espeon and Umbreon trotted along ahead, leading the way through the fountain square towards the large two story abode, 'Mayor Es Cade' engraved on a plaque on the wall. Rui thought it wise not to attempt conversation with her rescuer, even though she was infinitely curious about the white stripe across his otherwise evenly tanned face. As they reached the front door it slid open with a warning hiss; a tall man in black pants, a crisp white shirt and a deep purple split mandarin-collared waistcoat over the top stepped out with liquid grace, silver hair falling around his shoulders and flicking up a little at the ends. His eyes were a piercing red and the devil's smile graced his lips, a cold, calculating air emanated from his being, turning even the heat of Orre down low; his hypnotic gaze lingered thoughtfully on Wes.

"I'd guess you're a travelling trainer." The strange man had a deep and unnervingly calming voice, yet it contained a poisonous icy edge that could put a Seviper to shame. "I like what I see in your eyes, that fire; I have a feeling we will meet again. Don't let me down." With a smirk, he turned and left, a pitch black and very expensive looking hover car visible speeding out into the desert through the doorway beside the mayor's dwelling. For a prompt get-away in the event of an attempt on his life no doubt. Rui looked between the tiny speck that was now the car and the young man beside her.

"Who was that?" The teen paused for a moment before merely shrugging and turning to the residence of Mayor Es Cade.

'Sir, you will indeed meet him again. Though it will be on less friendly terms I fear.'

"Like a battle, you mean?" Rui asked the Pokémon, Espeon merely accepting that the strange power in her he could detect gave her the ability to hear him. If he wanted to, he could direct his thoughts only to Wes, though that would mean that Umbreon was left clueless, though there'd be little out of the ordinary there. Besides, he had no reason as of yet to distrust the girl and nothing to say that was private.

'I believe so' Fiddling nervously with the zip on her blue and pink fluffy jacket, Rui was glad that her escort was actually going to meet the mayor with her as he entered the air conditioned living-room like office and she followed like a lost puppy.

After the encounter with the scary man, dubbed in her mind simply as 'scary-man', she was in for quite the surprise.

* * *

Author's Note: As lovable as he is, Nascour's outfit in game was pretty crazy (reminded me of Dark Riku from Kingdom Hearts actually...) so I went for a more...sophisticated/businessman look. I hope.

However, Miror. B is going to be just as camp and crazy as Nintendo intended. Yes indeed. :) (With ultra-funky theme music and a randomly appearing band (inspired by a friend whilst opening a treasure chest in Zelda: Wind Waker))


	3. Dirty Habit

. o b r u m b r a t a .

Author's Note: Sorry for the long gap, my house is in chaos right now with the move and all. And I'm going to fail maths...I can feel it x-x. Hopefully, this boring part of the game (I find going to the Mayor inexplicably dull. And he creeps me out O-O) will be over with within this or the next chapter.

Oh! And a note – My version of Gonzap is terribly twisted and evil and short-tempered. So any Gonzap fans might want to take a deep breath before deciding to continue reading this fic. He won't be in it for a little while, but just so you know. Shutting up now. -

Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo. I'm just...borrowing (yes, let's go with that) the characters and such to try and do the first Pokémon 3D RPG some justice.

* * *

Chapter 3 – Dirty Habit

Behind the heavy wooden desk sat a short and portly man, a white moustache and pale fluff clinging to the sides of his head in large puffs framing a smiling face as he looked up from a pile of paperwork. The room was homely and modest; everything clean and well kept including the Mayor himself. A long corner settee sat against the wall that the door was on and the one opposite the Mayor.

'Sir-' Espeon directed his thoughts straight to Wes, Pokémon and human thinking the same.

'I know.' Neither Espeon nor Wes ever trusted easily, but there was something particularly mistrustful about Es Cade. He was _unnaturally_ happy, his smile reaching twinkling little spheres. Honey coloured eyes weren't interested in his smile, watching with suspicion as the Mayor _covered_ the paperwork with his arms seemingly innocently, but it was a purposeful movement. Umbreon was paying no attention what-so-ever, listening to another news report on a large television along the back wall where a set of stairs led to the second floor.

"Ah, you must be travellers! Welcome to Phenac City – please, sit. I am Es Cade, the Mayor as you've probably guessed. Now, you obviously wanted to see me; is there something I can help you with?" Rui hesitated before sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk. A miniature hallelujah chorus rang in her mind as Wes didn't simply turn and leave, sitting in the chair beside her with a hand stroking the top of Espeon's lavender head.

"Espi..." The Pokémon cooed softly, large ears twitching down.

"Um...er..." Rui didn't know where to begin. Es Cade, who was attempting to avoid looking directly at Wes, caught the look of uneasiness.

"Oh? What is it that troubles a pretty young lady like you?"

"I..." Rui steeled herself, hands balling into fists in her lap, "I saw it!" Es Cade seemed amused, tilting his round head to one side in questioning. Wes continued to think she was some kind of raving lunatic, his attention focusing on the news report rambling about a Snagem member being arrested and them finding out about the smaller snag machine being taken, the larger destroyed. Cool as ice, the teen didn't even turn to get a better look. He wasn't interested, truth-be-told.

"Saw it? And what did you see?"

"A peculiar Pokémon..." the boy glanced at Rui out of the corner of his eye. She asked about 'peculiar Pokémon' earlier; intrigued, his attention switched back to the conversation. "No, that's not quite right. The Pokémon I saw, it had like a black aura, and it felt...evil. It attacked people too! And it was like a machine, none of the other Pokémon stood a chance against it!" Es Cade quickly masked his shock, putting on a façade of friendly disbelief. However, Es Cade was not quick enough, Espeon's eyes narrowing. Wes ruffled the lavender Pokémon's fur, snapping him out of his death glare; the Mayor need not know that not everyone in the room trusted him.

If he played, Wes would have been superb at poker.

"O-o-oh, my!" the portly man shifted in his chair, one hand adjusting his collar. He had to shamefully admit that he was never as good at this as his highest underling. "Pokémon with a dark aura that fights like a machine? And it attacks _people _you say? Well, if that were true, that would be truly frightening...however, it is a little hard to believe." Having regained his composure, Es Cade laced his fingers together on top of the papers, fixing the blue eyed girl with a questioning frown.

"It's true! It's true, Mr. Mayor!" Rui had a look of desperation in her eyes. There was something wrong in the world and she had to make sure people knew. "Because I saw the aura around that Pokémon, these horrible men captured me until Wes here-" Rui glanced at the older teen with a smile, "-rescued me a little while ago. I came straight to you because I was told you could help."

"Hmmm...I see. I understand. I will order an investigation at once" Rui's eyes lit up as she finally got her message across. People would know, people would be safe; the Pokémon would be caught and helped.

"You will? Oh, thank you Mr. Mayor!" The man chuckled, before waving a finger at her with a smile.

"Oh no, no, there's no need for thanks. We mustn't allow thugs to do as they wish, particularly if it involves strange Pokémon. And especially thugs that endanger a pretty young lady like you!" The red head giggled and blushed shyly. "I'll ask that you give me a little time on this matter. I promise that I will gather some useful information for you. In the mean time, you appear to be Pokémon trainers so may I suggest our city's pride and joy, the Pokémon colosseum? It's a breathtakingly beautiful battlefield befitting of our oasis city and provides wonderful entertainment. I highly recommend it!" 'B-b-b-b-buh-wuh?' Umbreon questioned his brother. Espeon opened one eye and gave a small shrug.

"Thank you!" Rui rose and followed Wes out of the door, Umbreon scooting out past her leg. "Thank goodness, now the Mayor's on it, those goons should be captured in no time. Thank you for coming with me Wes, it really did help."

"Hm."

"Aren't you going to the stadium?" She fell into step beside him, noticing he was heading to the Pokémon centre, the holographic Pokéball flickering on top. The reply was flat and final.

"No."

"Awww, why not? I bet you'd win." She giggled playfully, her smile not faltering even when Wes didn't seem in the slightest bit amused. "Espeon and Umbreon could win any battle!" The air conditioning washed over the young girl and she shivered a little, sitting at one of the tables as Wes handed over the brothers' Pokéballs to the nurse for a long over-due check-up. The sandy haired teen sat opposite, apparently accepting that she didn't want to leave him alone just yet. He was about to reach for a cigarette and his lighter until he noticed a trainer fussing over a baby Pichu which gave off happy little sparks, deciding against it. Had the Pichu been a human he probably wouldn't have cared as much. Rui was also watching the little electric mouse, smiling as a cuddly feeling spread though her. Once more she was highly tempted to hug Wes, but she reminded herself of her earlier train of thought. Besides, he looked too busy studying the ceiling tiles.

So, Rui stayed content to ponder that white stripe of his. It could be an extremely pale tan line...but it was too bold and even to be so. An accident with white masking tape, perhaps? Maybe...Tipp-ex? But then again, the line was very sharp and clean and Tipp-ex washes off.

A few minutes later, the ex-snagger still trying to ignore the lunatic staring at him, the nurse brought the two Pokéballs to their table, Wes giving a nod of thanks and releasing them both. The brothers shook and stretched a little before being swept up in a fierce hug by Rui, their owner raising an eyebrow at the sudden display of affection towards Pokémon she'd only met less than an hour earlier. "Needed that," she said simply as she released them, continuing to follow her rescuer as he exited the Pokécentre and wandered across the square. The sky was beginning to darken as stars appeared and the baking sun sunk beneath the horizon, the temperature falling to a comfortable level as the streets cleared and lights switched on in the houses. "So, where are you going now?"

"Finding an inn."

'Miss Rui, do you have anywhere to go?' Her pigtails wiggled as she shook her head.

"I guess I'll find an inn too."

'Stay with us! The inns do twin rooms, and then we can look after you if those boneheads come back. Wezzles doesn't mind, do ya?' With a muffled yawn, the teen murmured 'whatever' and pushed open the door to a cosy looking inn not far from the main fountain. He did mind actually. But he reasoned that the Pokémon had taken a shine to her and he wasn't going to be rid of her so quickly. Unsure as to why, Wes found that he was suddenly very tired, barely paying any attention to the man at the desk whilst booking the room.

"En suite, sir?"

"Yeah, and two key cards." The clerk nodded, tapping a few keys on the computer before turning and opening a drawer, fishing out two cards for room eight. Rui insisted on paying for half the room, Wes far too sleepy to argue with her. It irked him that he was suddenly so weary, but he guessed it was a combination of little rest over the past week since he decided upon leaving Team Snagem and being a teenager. Teenagers always are rather sleepy beings.

"The room is upstairs, the second to last on your left. Thank you and I hope you enjoy your stay." Rui smiled and said thanks, then skipped up the stairs after her human companion.

The hallways were long, quite wide and decorated with potted plants, large green leaves lending a tropical feel. The floor was glossed wood, a long beige carpet running the length of the corridor matching the carpeted stairs. Each room was guarded by a heavy mahogany door and bore a gold number indicating which room it was, some with 'do not disturb' signs on the handles. There was little noise from any of them; the walls, painted cream with wooden framing, obviously quite thick to drown out sound.

A small light on top of the card slot blinked green, the teen retracting the card and opening the door into a spacious room, Rui switching on the lights. He was all too glad that they were soft, dim lights.

Wes sat heavily in one of the squishy chairs in the centre area, the television immediately grabbing Umbreon's full attention, sending the Pokémon on a hunt for the remote. His trainer decided against telling the Pokémon that it was out of his direct line of sight on the table, letting his head fall back onto the headrest of the chair. His brain throbbed painfully, the previously dormant headache returning with abandon.

'Headache, sir?' He opened one eye to find Espeon looking up at him with concern.

'Uh-huh,'

"Here, these should help," Rui searched through her pockets for a moment until she extracted a packet of aspirin, glancing at the instructions for a second before handing them to him. "You only need two." She was still a raving lunatic in his books, but now she was a _helpful_ raving lunatic – which, for the record, was better.

"Thanks." Dragging himself reluctantly out of the all-too-comfortable chair, Wes trudged into the small kitchenette to find a glass and drinkable water. "You sure you don't mind me staying with you?"

"Uh-huh." The boy slumped back into the chair he'd previously occupied after taking the pain-relievers, pulling off his blue coat and laying it over the back of chair. The black sleeveless turtle-neck underneath was a lot more comfortable to sit around in, and a lot cooler in the room; the far wall was dominated by one large window with the curtains drawn and a tall slim one either side which could be opened. Between the window and the air conditioning, the room was a delight from the heat of the day.

Air con was a gift from Mew itself.

The window would have to be closed soon of course and the air con turned off because Orre would freeze quite quickly after the sun became absent from the sky and no help was needed in chilling them. The heat of the sun was fierce, but the reign of the moon was hostile.

Pulling off his gloves and then his knee-high biking boots, Wes momentarily forgot his shiny silver sunshades until Espeon gave him a 'you forgot something' look. They joined his gloves on the table. "You said earlier about that Pokémon attacking people." Rui was slightly startled at his sudden statement, busily folding her jacket at the end of one of the beds and pulling off her pink boots. The beds were up two steps from the living area, a simple paper screen slid across to separate it if need be. The door to the bathroom was fitted into the wood work which the paper screening was fastened to on the other side of the living area, the kitchenette along the same wall. "And that it had a black aura...why didn't anyone else see it?" The redhead sat opposite Wes, pulling her pigtails loose and moving her fingers carefully through shoulder length strands to make sure it wasn't too badly knotted. Her toes curled up in long black socks as she sat silently for a moment, giving him a chance to look at her properly. She was undeniably a pretty girl and looked quite young; she was pale too, or at least, pale for someone living in Orre. Her strap top vest was dark purple and made her look paler, obviously the girl spent little time in the glaring heat. That probably made her sensible...or spoilt, with everything being done for her and thus no need to spend ages in the sun.

"I think it's something only I can see. I know it sounds weird, and I don't like to believe it either...but that Pokémon, when I was near it, I felt dizzy and faint. And no one else even looked at it funny, no second glance or anything until they saw it fighting. I could..._feel_ its emotions; confusion, anger, sadness...something terrible happened to it and it's like it doesn't have a heart any more." Umbreon abandoned his treasure hunt and nuzzled Rui's knee, seeing that the thought was upsetting her. Something made it that way; something awful made its heart freeze over to the point of it seeming none-existent.

'It is not unlike a certain human I know. A tragedy he was helpless to stop and the events that unfolded thereafter gave him quite the allergy to matters of his heart.' Espeon didn't share his thought with anyone else but his master, purple eyes giving him a knowing look that wasn't met. Even Espeon sometimes forgot to bite his tongue.

Wes didn't like to remember his parents, especially his mother. At least he hadn't been hiding little more than ten feet away when his father died. At least he hadn't had to listen to his father begging him to run away, telling him everything would be alright, telling him daddy loved him...at least daddy had been slaughtered quickly...he wasn't left to bleed in some alley and found in the morning, though they both shared a funeral without their son and were laid to rest in a graveyard the boy didn't even know the location of. And then Caroline...just as he was starting to think everything would be alright again...finally daring to love again...

He never fully understood what happened to his mother that night for a long time. He'd have been happier not knowing.

But now...now he'd been on Gonzap's bad side enough times to understand the threats weren't restricted to pretty young girls, and he'd heard the other guys chuckling about their 'conquests' like little disposable playthings.

Wes always felt sick listening to them.

But it was Caroline explaining the Swellows and Beedrills (during which he nearly fainted in horror) when he was thirteen that made everything click.

'Sir...I didn't mean to-'

'It doesn't matter.'

'I apologise, I had no right-'

'_It doesn't matter._' Espeon fell silent at his master's tone, ears low as his head rested on his paws. The damage was done. Umbreon and Rui were oblivious to the tension, the dark Pokémon having leapt up into the girls lap and enjoying every bit of the attention.

'Girls are cuddly,' yellow rings glowed in the dim light on the Pokémon's fur, 'and smell yummy.'

"Don't try and eat me!" Rui giggled, scratching Umbreon behind the ear, much to his delight. At the sound of a soft metal click, blue eyes blinked up to find her room mate smoking.

Rui prided herself on being tolerant and not usually minding what others did. But if there was thing she could not _stand_, it was smoking.

"Wes!" She cried suddenly with such an offended tone that the teen genuinely thought he'd done something terribly wrong. "Put that thing out at once! Smoking is a horrible habit! You'll clog your lungs up with black goo and then you'll keel over and _die_!" She pointed a slender finger accusingly at him. Wes merely stared at her.

"What? The window's open, it's not like I'm choking you out with fumes."

"But _Wes_! Smoking is bad for you! You'll go all yellow and wrinkly and stuff and then get all frail-"

"I know. I can read." He held up the packet to show the warning print on the front, 'smoking kills' in big bold letters.

"You should quit." Rui folded her arms defiantly across her chest.

"Yeah, because smoking makes me a terrible person and there's really a good reason to live for an extra twenty years." The girl was slightly hurt by his sarcasm but didn't let him have the last word.

"There are plenty of good things to live for! You're just being pessimistic and there's no need to be. You've got Umbreon and Espeon for a start! And you're good at saving kidnapped girls!" She was some sort of evil robotic headache maker, sent to hound him by Gonzap. She had to be. Her giggle was terribly addictive too, making him want to smile when he heard it.

Yes, very evil indeed. He certainly couldn't go around _smiling_, it wasn't a 'Wes' thing.

"For a girl who's all shy and sweet to the Mayor, you sure are cheeky." Rui knew she was being a little bold, seeing as Wes had saved her, accompanied her – albeit reluctantly – to the Mayor and apparently not minded sharing a room at the inn with her. She settled on frowning at him for a few minutes in disproval.

"...Anyway, what do you think the Mayor will do now he knows about that Pokémon?" the older of the humans shrugged, scratching the nape of his neck.

"I don't think he'll do anything to be honest." The girl seemed surprised.

"But he's the Mayor! He said he'd order an investigation."

"He also had that guy walking out of his office just before we arrived, was too happy for his own good and looked frightened when you described the Pokémon you saw. And not because it attacked people, because you _saw_ it. We can't trust him to do anything."

"Are you this suspicious of everyone?"

"Yes."

"Even me?"

"You've already been confirmed as crazy." He paused a moment, stubbing out the cigarette, "and harmless." Pause.

"I know karate."

"And yet you were kidnapped, unable to escape _and_ needed an escort?" The blue eyed girl stared blankly at him.

"Um...yes?" Wes shook his head, rising from his seat.

"G'night crazy girl." Rui huffed and didn't answer. Espeon nuzzled her leg and nodded at the clock hanging next to the bath room door. It was very early, but she was tired after her ordeal and a nice cosy bed would be very welcome. Umbreon leapt off her lap and went galloping into the bedroom, a loud thump and an 'ack!' followed by several things falling to the floor signalled the dark Pokémon's miscalculated jump onto Wes. Instead of pouncing on his master's back, he'd missed as the human moved out of the way. Said human pulled his shirt over his head and kicked his trousers off before climbing into bed and patting the covers. Umbreon got back up in an instant and sprawled out over Wes' feet; Espeon curled up at the end of Rui's bed, being a lighter sleeper than Umbreon and quicker to attack should anyone intrude.

"Good night, meanie." Rui reached over and turned off the light, a weird feeling in her stomach. She'd never actually slept in the same room as a boy who wasn't family before, let alone one she'd just met. It wasn't that she didn't trust Wes, because oddly she trusted him a lot considering how long they'd known each other. It was...just a weird feeling. Rui dismissed it and thought about her grandparents, no doubt worried sick about her. She'd have to get back to Agate somehow tomorrow; unfortunately, that meant she'd have to leave Wes, unless he left first. 'Worry about that in the morning.' She told herself, closing her eyes and snuggling into the lavender scented sheets.

* * *

Author's Note: So, there we have chapter 3. Any comments and/or constructive criticisms greatly appreciated. It's what authors eat you know 


	4. Prince Wezzles

. o b r u m b r a t a .

Author's Note: And in the time I really should be revising for a science GCSE tomorrow, I'm writing Pokémon fics. No wonder I had Miror B.'s theme rolling around my head during the second maths paper. ...What does that 'B' stand for, I wonder? Hmmm, the many mysteries of men in yellow disco suits and giant afros...O.o

To all reviewers: Heartness and muffins! –huggles- It's nice to feel loved.

Enjoy chapter four!

**EDIT: **Creases ironed out; I got lazy with reading over what I'd written when I first submitted this, sorry! x-x Won't happen again.

**EDITEDIT:** Sorry for the delay with chapter 5. The move threw us around a bit and we changed internet srver and then my uncle had a heart attack so we had to zoom to the other side of the country and- yes, much distraction. But I _will _write this all the way to the end, you have my word.

Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo. I'm just...borrowing (yes, let's go with that) the characters and such to try and do the first Pokémon 3D RPG some justice.

* * *

Chapter 4 – Prince Wezzles

Rui awoke to find the room empty save for Wes' coat and Umbreon snoozing on her bed; a key card had been left on her bedside table and she cringed at the thought of Wes seeing her sleeping. What if she'd been snoring or drooling or mumbling or something? Her cousin had once poked fun at her grumbling at someone for eating all the chocolate in her sleep. Said cousin had then been bludgeoned with a pillow.

The air con hummed quietly and the girl sat under the covers for a few moments, thinking. She highly doubted Wes would leave Umbreon and his coat behind, so guessed he just gone to stretch his legs as the bathroom door was open and morning was one of the more bearable times in the Orre desert. Glancing over at the boy's bed with a small smile at the tidy-yet-rumpled covers, she wondered when he'd be back. Stroking Umbreon's ears and receiving a sleepy 'Umbree...' Rui swung her legs out of bed and padded over to the bathroom to figure out the shower. And the lock on the door. She didn't trust her own dumb luck that Wes wouldn't hear the shower running and come wandering in. If it was embarrassing and it could happen, it was likely to happen to her.

Umbreon was scratching his ear as she came out of the bathroom some twenty minutes later, his canine smile reaching his red eyes. Or maybe it was feline, but that seemed to fit Espeon more.

"Morning Umbreon,"

"Bree!" He chirped, jumping off the bed and trotting over to rub against her leg affectionately. The front door clicked open with eerily perfect timing and Espeon wandered in, greeting them both with an elegant nod of his head, Wes trailing after with a brown paper bag under one arm and a cup of 'StarShuckle' coffee in his hand. Umbreon was immediately at his heels, sniffing for the sickly sweet pastry bun he just knew the bag contained.

"Hang on a minute," Wes told the Pokémon to stop his pacing, putting the carrier on the table. "I didn't know whether you liked coffee or not so there's orange in here too." In truth, it had been Espeon's idea to get orange juice and the toast sandwich...things (Wes hadn't the faintest what they were) for breakfast but the Pokémon had _somehow_ made it sound like his master's instead. Wes hated it when he did that.

"Thanks," The girl smiled through a yawn, dropping into one of the chairs. Umbreon gave an excited yip and walked in a circle before sitting and wagging his tail as Wes held up the Pokémon's breakfast. Espeon was far more subdued, waiting patiently for some sort of fish and salad thing. Rui never knew Espeons were omnivorous. "So, are you going to the colosseum _today_?" The sandy haired teen resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"No. I wasn't going yesterday; I don't intend to go today."

"How come?" The redhead leaned forward and took the bottle of orange juice off the table as Wes sat opposite, apparently very happy when in possession of coffee - near euphoria even, just hiding it well - and a toast sandwich thingy which Rui insisted was in fact very nice. Though perhaps not so much the latter.

"Too crowded, full of little screaming kids and trainers who probably have never been in a serious battle before."

'Amateurs.' Umbreon snorted haughtily, imitating Espeon's voice whilst munching on the pastry bun, the psychic shooting him a look.

'Did you know there are _three_ StarShuckle coffee shops in the same street?' Espeon diverted the conversation masterfully, knowing sir wanted to enjoy his coffee and not be nagged.

"They're taking over." Wes murmured with narrowed gold eyes, the redhead snorting suddenly at his likeness to an evil genius brooding over a cup of coffee. He didn't acknowledge the outburst; she was after all stark raving mad and he did have his precious coffee which was occupying his attention.

'Quite. We also located the aforementioned colosseum and a curious place called the Pre Gym, if you care for some sightseeing.'

"I wish I could, but I have to get back home. My grandpa's most likely having a fit." Umbreon, having wolfed down the sticky bun, put his paws on her knee and performed an outrageously adorable puppy-dog eyes look.

'Pwease Roo-bear, just for the morning?' Wes wondered if cutting off the air circulation to Umbreon's brain through throttling would actually have any effect on the Pokémon. Here he was, on the verge of driving out into the unknown of desert for some quality rest and relaxation with his two best friends, and they were encouraging the one thing that had been hindering his departure!

'Sir, this is _still_ neither the time nor place to be musing over mass murder.' The lavender Pokémon chided his master.

'Stop reading my mind.' He hissed in reply, glaring at the psychic who allowed himself a smile. 'I don't want them coming after her Espeon. If they see her with me, Snagem will hunt her down as well as whoever kidnapped her to begin with.' Espeon chuckled softly at his master's words, apparently finding amusement in the teen's concern.

He did have a heart, no matter how closely guarded and cold it was. It was still there and this girl had a knack for finding it.

"Roo-bear?" Rui giggled. "Awww, I'm sorry Umbreon, but my grandparents need to know I'm okay." Umbreon pouted but the redhead held fast. "C'mere, you," The girl held her arms out to the Pokémon and he jumped into her lap, nuzzling his head under her chin and feigning tears.

'But Roo-Roo! I-' Wes nudged Espeon who swiftly cut the telepathic link he usually held by reading the minds of those around him and directing it to whoever it was addressed to. It was quite the talent. Umbreon didn't realise this of course and continued trying to talk to her through his thoughts.

"Umbreeeeeon!" Came the sudden war cry as the dark Pokémon realised he'd been cut off and leapt at his brother. Finishing his coffee, Wes rose and slipped on his coat. Umbreon was swiftly caught by the scruff and tucked under one arm, glaring comically at the psychic who stood on the other side of his master, trying to ignore the silly creature.

"We better go, before _someone_ decides to trash the room." Wes shot Umbreon an accusing look which the Pokémon failed to receive, so intent on firing death beams from his eyes was he. He was also failing to do that, but Espeon decided his dearest sibling needed no further irking.

"Yeah, I have to find some hover bus times," Rui stood abruptly and held out a hand with a smile. "See you around, Wes." The teen smirked. It was a good job they were going their own ways; he was afraid he was starting to like her, crazy as she was. Her hands were small he noticed idly, excepting the alternative to a smothering hug he could see she would have rather given.

"We'll see, crazy girl." He turned to leave, the younger human folding her arms and scowling at his back.

"I am not crazy!"

"Mildly insane?" Glare. "Alright...Roo-bear," He closed the door behind him before she could either giggle infectiously or say something to make him stay any longer. He wasn't trying to get away from _her_ exactly, just eager to get back to his beloved bike and out into the desert.

'...I quite like Rui, sir. She seems...most virtuous.'

'Hmmm...'

'So, where to captain?'

Blue eyes squinted in the early morning sun, Rui smiling as she exited the Pre-Gym. The Pokémon Centre's phone had been down so the nurse had suggested asking a guy named Justy in the young trainers' school. He'd been very gentlemanly and allowed her all the time she'd needed to inform her grandparents that she was alive and well. They'd been very curious as to this 'Wes', but she'd promised an explanation when she got home.

She liked Justy; not in a crush sort of way, more of a brotherly way. He was a very nice guy. Walking past a deserted street near the colosseum, Rui heard a rough voice, the kind she liked to associate with criminals, derailing her train of thought.

"-were real smart, blowin' us up like that and stealing the bloody snag machine. Gonzap's gonna skin you alive! The lot of us are after yeh, you ain't got no hope of escapin', you dirty thieving traitor!"

"Stealing, prolonged borrowing without permission, same thing Wakin. Besides, what are you so riled about, you said yourself that Gonzap was bad for the team." That sounded like Wes...being called a traitor? Peering round the corner of a building, Rui's eyes widened as she took in the scene unfolding in a broad alley blocked off by a fence at the far end between two closed shops.

It _was_ Wes.

Three men in what appeared to be uniforms and weird ear phone communicators were either held at gun point or knocked out cold. One was on the floor, Wes' boot on his back to hold him there should he come to, one sitting on the ground with a gun pointed straight between his eyes and the third returning the favour with both cold steel barrels touching the others forehead as Wes, lip bleeding, and the bald man, with a black eye coming, glared at each other.

Umbreon was in a stand off with a Weezing, a burn on his hind right leg hindering any fast movement; Espeon prevented from helping anyone by a large Crawdaunt standing between him and the humans. Rui gulped and kept as best hidden as she could.

"Yeah, he still is. But you killed off some of the people we used t' joke around and goof off with. That's low, even for a heartless bastard like you." Wes gave a derisive snort.

"Being such the saints they were they didn't deserve it, that what you're driving at? Because in my eyes, the lot of you need putting down."

"Caroline would've been ashamed of you," The one on the floor spoke up, and gold eyes glared at him with such malice that if looks could kill, he'd have been dead a hundred times over.

"Caroline would have understood." Flicking off the safety, the teen pulled the trigger with surprising lack of hesitation. Just a single fluid movement, the silencer fitted on the pistol making barely a sound, not even watching the body hit the floor. Wakin swore loudly and his aim wavered, knowing that the ex-snagger wasn't afraid of shooting him too.

Rui felt sick.

Not only had she just seen the back of someone's head explode, but this boy only a year or two older than herself with an unnerving detachment to ending life had slept in the same room as her last night, had brought her orange juice and breakfast, had tolerated her when he obviously didn't appreciate company, had saved her life by stepping in when others would have tried to ignore what was going on. Sure, he hadn't seemed like a total mama's-boy-goody-two-shoes type, but certainly not the cold killer type either.

Then again...there was that look in his eyes...that cold, closed off look that made sure no one ever saw something he didn't want them to. They were talking again and Rui listened in, pieces beginning to fit as she realised that the person she'd heard about on the news this morning who had been in Team Snagem and quite literally gone out with a bang was the honey eyed, sandy haired boy standing little over twenty feet from her. To think she'd been crushing on a villainous killer...Rui inwardly chided herself. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't see Wes that way. Who was 'Caroline'? She must have been important to Wes if he killed someone for such an otherwise petty insult.

"Don't make me shoot yeh Wes. We used to be buddies; you used t' be one of damn best!"

"I used to be a lot of things. I used to care. And I must have been stupid not to realise what was going on sooner. Do you know what they do with the Pokémon we catch?"

"...We ain't supposed to know,"

"Of course we're not," Wes' tone was fierce and Wakin was growing nervier, "because they take those happy little Pokémon and they do something to them and they come back without souls. They're not happy little Pokémon any more, they're frightened and confused and they don't understand why these things are happening to them. We started that, it's our fault. I'm going to stop them Wakin, if you want to stand in my way then I'll shoot you as well as Davey." The bald man lowered his gun, showing that he was listening and posed no threat.

"...They wouldn't take ours...would they?"

"They wanted to take Espeon and Umbreon, the only reason they didn't was because I threw a drama queen sized strop." Rui bit back laughter. Wes having a drama queen moment was one of the few things that could make her laugh at a time like this. "If you love Crusher and Korey, you won't let them be taken." Wakin stared at Wes for a few moments, weighing his options. Wes wouldn't hesitate to shoot him, and he wasn't sure he still had the motivation to shoot Wes. The teen had his reasons for leaving, and now Wakin understood what they were, the anger in him had changed its course for Gonzap.

"Don't...Don't think I'm forgivin' what you did."

"I don't expect you to." Wes stepped back, keeping one pistol level with the man as he lifted Davey and called his Pokémon to him. Wakin's gaze flitted over the dead body briefly, gaze darkening.

"...Don't get yehself killed Wes, you've made a lot o' enemies." The goon beat a hasty retreat, the Weezing luckily floating at just the right height that Wakin didn't notice Rui as he passed, heading away down another back alley. Looking back round the corner of the building, the girl saw Wes leaning over Umbreon who lay on his side, Espeon sitting beside them. Red eyes winced as the burn heal cream tingled, soothing and cooling the wound.

"You okay now Umbles?"

"Breon!" The dark Pokémon jumped back up to his feet, licking Wes' face. They were remarkable things, Pokémon, with their strange powers and ability to heal within moments.

"Hey!" The teen lost balance and fell onto his backside, Espeon following his brother's example and showering his master with affection. They both knew Wes didn't relish killing, but the mention of his parents or Caroline with any sort of ill intent brought out a mean streak in him a mile wide and he saw red.

Rui should go, she knew she should. Just leave and go back to Agate Village, forget about Wes and Umbreon and Espeon and hope she didn't have claustrophobia for the rest of her life. Yes, that was a good plan. The redhead sighed inwardly; she'd never be able to forget about these last two days, not if she had the rest of eternity. Besides, she could see something no one else seemed to be able to, if Wes wanted to stop the people responsible for these Pokémon, he wasn't going to get very far without being able to tell which Pokémon had black auras.

"...Wes?" Rui finally got her voice working, keeping her eyes off the semi-headless body as she approached. The trio turned to look at her sharply, surprised by her sudden presence.

"Rui! What are you doing here? I thought you were going back to your grandparents." The teen stood, Umbreon's tail wagging as he grinned.

Wes was the boy who bought her breakfast this morning again, the crime committed by someone else.

"I was – am. So, you're the one everyone's talking about, the Snagem guy." Her eyes riveted on the snag machine clinging to his arm, "and is that it? The snag machine? I did think it was a bold if strange fashion statement. I can't believe you're with something as horrible as Team Snagem – no! _Were_ with Team Snagem." She smiled brightly, reached forward and wrapped her arms around his torso reassuringly. She felt him tense. She'd known he wouldn't return the hug; she just wanted to tell him she thought no different of him. She knew he'd killed in cold blood, but she remembered that he saved her and she still trusted him. "It's okay Wes, it doesn't matter to me who you were, it's who you are _now_ that matters. You are my gallant prince who came to rescue me when I was in trouble! In my eyes, you're one of the good guys." He'd never been called _that_ before.

'Hehe, Wes is blush-OW!' Espeon thwacked his brother over the head before his master could throttle him. Rui let go and stepped back, bringing her hands together in front of her as she thought about the snag machine and the strange Pokémon. Wes had a feeling this was going to end with another request. But he didn't mind, oddly. When she found out who he was, he'd thought she'd run a mile like anyone else would, but she didn't seem to care about the past.

What's done is done-

' _-and only when you accept that, can you learn from it and move on, Wezzy-bear. Good deeds can't undo bad, but they make the future worth living.'_

His mother used to think the same.

"You said that Es Cade can't be trusted right? Well, how about _we_ do something about these Pokémon with the black auras, hmm? You have the snag machine; if we can just get some Pokéballs then we can get one of these Pokémon and figure out what's wrong with it. It's still not right, but we'd be snagging them from the bad guys. What do you think?" The seventeen year old touched the cut on his lip to check if it was still bleeding as he thought. As he suspected, a request .

"I still think you're crazy – but...if these Pokémon you're seeing are the ones that Snagem captured, then I'm to blame for a lot of them." Wes sighed and walked past her, standing over the corpse. Espeon strode to his side, looking up until the teen nodded. The psychic lifted the body and moved it behind a large dumpster out of sight. The guy deserved no better anyway. The ex-snagger continued walking back towards the main square. "I guess we better find somewhere that sells Pokéballs, huh?"

"Oh, Wes! Thank you, I knew you'd want to do help those poor Pokémon!"

"_No_ hugs." He warned as she nearly pounced on him again. Rui giggled and fell into step beside him, virtually bouncing along the street. Umbreon and Espeon trotted ahead, leading them to the Pokémart. If the Pokémart didn't sell Pokéballs – which Wes was fairly sure they didn't – he didn't know where to look next. Searching all of Phenac was out of the question. "Wait a second; don't you have to get home?"

"Not right now, I rang my grandparents and told them I was okay and that I didn't know when I'd be back but not to worry. Nice to know you care though." She teased, grinning as she scooted into the air conditioned interior of the mart. Barely five minutes and she was driving him crazy. Great. Ho-oh must_ love_ him today. "Excuse me! Do you sell Pokéballs?" The shop assistant jumped and squeaked at the girl who'd appeared out of nowhere with bright blue eyes. And a dangerous looking boyfriend. The cute sweet ones always did have a soft spot for the rogues. The assistant cleared his throat, recovering from his near heart-attack.

"Uh, no ma'am. Haven't sold Pokéballs in a while," A brunette in a wide rimmed hat looking at some of the Pokédolls around the counter with her daughter looked up, overhearing the conversation.

"Hey, I heard that that Outskirt Stand place has some Pokéballs. It's modelled after an old bronze locomotive, hard to miss on the Eastern Calm Flats."

'If my guess is correct sir, that is where we first encountered Miss Rui.' Rui glanced at Wes, hearing Espeon's statement.

"Okay, thanks!" Rounding on him, Rui raised an eyebrow. "I don't remember meeting you before Phenac."

"You didn't, you were in the back of those idiots' truck. I figured it was just a badly done kidnapping seeing as they left you out in the sun whilst they had dinner or whatever." She seemed to accept that he was telling the truth and followed him towards the city exit. Maybe the people who'd kidnapped her didn't really care if she died from the heat. The thought did nothing to comfort her. Noticing they weren't heading towards the bus bay, Rui tapped his arm.

"Aren't the hover buses that way?"

"I don't like buses; they're way too slow and way too crowded." The attendant nodded and waved as Wes showed him the card he'd been given as ID. A group of teens were crowded around one or two small little cars, kitted out with silly looking spoilers and such, revving the engines and trying to make each sound fiercer than the other. 'Sheila I' was hidden from view by a large van, Rui freezing when her eyes fell on the fiend.

"Um, Wes?"

"Hmm?"

"Please don't tell me you can actually drive that thing."

"Not legally, no. I shouldn't be allowed to drive something like this for another...five or six years. I've already been driving for a good four however, so it doesn't really matter." Resting his sunshades on his nose, Wes settled himself in the seat, motioning to the sidecar. "She doesn't bite." Rui begged to differ. The single wheeled bike with a hover motor on the sidecar looked...dangerous, suiting Wes perfectly now she thought about it. Despite this, she was kind of looking forward to seeing the looks on the teens' faces when this thing started up, giving an inward evil chuckle. The sidecar was quite roomy, Espeon and Umbreon easily fitting in with her, the psychic beside her and the dark Pokémon on her lap wearing a pair of aviator goggles that had been left under the seat. And of course, the mandatory psychotic grin.

There was a low whine like a jet engine until she felt her ribcage tremble violently as the increasing whine broke into a thunderous roar, the exhaust pipes spitting flames for a second as the engine awoke and revved. Rui couldn't contain a giggle; the feeling was amazing, having so much raw power so close. The machine settled into a rumbling tremor that was like a Groudon's purr and made the dirt clumps under the cylinder heads bounce. The stand retracted and the bike dipped a little before picking up and the spiked wheel dug into the soft ground, letting them glide surprisingly smoothly out of the car park. Unable to help herself, the redhead glanced at the stunned faces of the group crowded around their silly little cars and the attendant laughing and shaking his head at the scene.

The purr built up into a growl and then into a ferocious snarl as they picked up speed, Rui holding onto the dashboard in fear she'd blow away. But damn, she sure was enjoying it; the dormant adrenaline junkie in her was surfacing and she held no fears as the bike went faster and faster. Hundred and twenty - hundred and thirty - hundred and forty 'Sheila I' cruised along quite happily at. They were only just at the halfway point on the speedometer too.

She didn't bother trying to talk to Wes, there was no way he'd hear her over the engine and the wind. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw Phenac disappearing fast, dust billowing out behind them. On turning back to the front however, not that she was looking at Wes' butt or anything – because she wasn't! Honest! – she noticed one of the guns he'd had earlier tucked into the back of his trousers only visible as his blue coat flicked and flailed behind him. Was it encase they encountered more of those creeps? Would he kill them? Or was it just encase they tried to kill him? Looking down to avoid the wind tearing her face off, Rui tried to dispel the unease.

Wes was safe. Wes only had it for emergencies. 'Wes saved me, he's my prince. He's not a murderer.'

'Forgive me, but you saw everything, didn't you?' Rui was startled by Espeons soothing mental voice. 'This is a conversation between us; I shan't tell any other of anything you tell me.' His large purple eyes met hers and she felt an odd serenity sweep over her.

'From just before one of them said something about a 'Caroline'.'

'I'm sorry you had to see that. It would be best if Sir didn't know exactly how much you saw, even though he may guess. Rui, your gift...this ability to see into the hearts of others, pick up on emotions...have you always known it was there?' Rui was silent for a moment. She'd never really thought about what point in her life she started noticing that she could sense others emotions around her, it had just become something she was used to.

'Not really, I don't remember it when I was little. Who's Caroline?' Espeons eyes closed and a shadow of pain flitted over his face.

'I'm afraid that is a tale not for here or me to tell. It's...painful.' Rui felt her heart clench. She was a very sensitive and emotional girl; she cried often in sad movies and hated to see others upset or alone. 'Perhaps, one day Sir and you can have a heart-to-heart, I predict we shan't be parting company for a while yet,' Dark eyes smiled up at her.

'Is it why Wes left team Snagem?'

'Oh no, Caroline was a while ago, six or seven years now. The Pokémon the snaggers captured had been targeted by the higher powers; once the Pokéballs were handed over they were taken away and never seen again. But one day a shipment came back. Sir had caught a Torchic several days previous and had he not had to hand her over would have no doubt kept her. She was in the shipment, cowering in a cage and when Sir returned from trying to find out what was going on he looked... anxious.'

'Was the Torchic...did she become a shadow Pokémon?'

'I don't know. I believe that she was at least one of the experiments.' Rui fell silent and Espeon said no more. A female Torchic...the redhead had seen a female Blaziken lately, when she spotted the first shadow Pokémon. The Blaziken had had a black aura around it too but had been standing by a young looking trainer with a cold, collective stare, watching the battle instead of participating. The shadow had been so dense she'd barely been able to see the details on the creature and it had hurt her to look at it.

She wondered if it was the same Pokémon. But it couldn't have been captured as a Torchic long enough ago to be fully evolved. Whoever was ordering these Pokémon to be captured probably had more than one of them anyway. It wasn't like Torchic were inexplicably rare. Females were uncommon, but if these people could make something that could capture Pokémon from their trainers and close the door to hearts, they could easily find any Pokémon they wanted.

The thought made Rui shiver. What about the legendaries? Would they be strong enough to resist? She didn't relish the thought of trying to control something so powerful, even if they were trying to help it.

What were they getting themselves into?

* * *

Author's Note: Guns, engines and violence, oh my! The reason 'Sheila I' is described as being so...wow, is because she has four twin cylinder heads (or so I believe from the pictures and my father's opinion). And she looks mean. So Rui's experience of uncontrollable giggles is from my own at a tractor pulling event (I kind-of-maybe-heart-love machines o-o) in France where these awesome beasties were pulling two tonne blocks around (or so I think, my French isn't wonderful). 'Baby Duck' had four Spitfire engines and made my ribcage rattle and for some reason giggle a lot. So seeing as we're in the Pokémon universe where they have anti-gravity hover motors and clone things...I figure I'll just take those four twin cylinder heads with their fire-spitting exhausts and hype them up a bit. Maybe there shall be the gloriously wonderful nitrous too... -cough- Ahem! Feedback welcomed! n-n 


	5. The Coldest Fire

. o b r u m b r a t a .

Author's Note: Bit of a choppy chapter I'm afraid. The Blaziken (guess who she is!) will be appearing a little more as Wes and Rui get closer to The Under (my 'version' of The Under is a tad bit different to the game. Just a tad. –cough- As is The Deep, but that is also for later.) The other two will crop up rarely until nearer the end. Unless I find the perfect moment for it. Unfortunately, I haven't had any time to play through the game and write out more of the game script which I need to keep the fic as close as possible to the game - without making it like a walkthrough of, course.

Big-big-big-**BIG**! Thank you to all reviewers and the shy readers (I found the stats thing! Yay!), many huggles and plushies and cookie dough ice cream for you!

Anyway, enough of me – chapter 5!

Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo. I'm just...borrowing (yes, let's go with that) the characters and such to try and do the first Pokémon 3D RPG some justice.

18th NOV: EDIT!: After re-reading some of this I cringed in horror upon realising I had changed some things in the story and not updated them. Very-very-very sorry!

* * *

Chapter 5 – The Coldest Fire

Azure, a colour of innocence and kindness, watched the battle with a heartless glare. The young trainer assigned to her watched with excitement as he knew it would soon be his turn to use his newest 'toy'. She didn't care.

She wasn't _programmed_ to care. A solid week of intensive training and brainwashing and experiments had seen to that. She was programmed to follow orders; if the trainer said fight, she fought, if the trainer said kill, she killed.

It was that simple.

She wasn't programmed with pity or mercy or empathy or even to think. She was not a living creature; she was a machine, a tool. At least she wouldn't have feelings to hurt when the pit fights of The Deep were won and she wasn't wanted anymore, stored in a Pokéball for use whenever it suited the humans.

The pit fights were gruesome, illegal matches that placed Pokémon against Pokémon in brutal combat to the death in a caged arena called the pit. They were horrific to witness, yet the gamblers who didn't see Pokémon as creatures with feelings didn't care. They bet on who they thought would win and let the blood fest commence, sometimes even fixing the fight. The money attracted the people willing to train the pit fighters and the crowd willing to watch. If caught either organising, training or being otherwise associated with the running of the pit fights, the Pokémon Rights Activist Association (otherwise known as the PRAA) had won their campaign and made the sentence death. The electric chair, hanging (though rare now), a shot in the heart whilst blindfolded and the lethal injection were all recognised forms of execution in Orre. The death penalty was ruled only by a full honourable court and where there was no doubt about the conviction.

Few of the more favourable types in the desert land even knew about the life beneath Pyrite Town.

In The Under, there were competitions held for fun rather than profit in power, speed, beauty and intelligence. The power competition tended to be the most popular, as the reigning champ had held his crown (or rather his belt) for four straight years – eight tournaments and not even larger Pokémon could beat him.

"Blaziken!" Dull eyes stared blankly ahead as she took up her place on the battlefield, claws held up from the hot stone to keep them sharp, a small crowd gathering around. There was a scuffle to the left of her line of sight but her eyes didn't waver, watching the Graveler flexing his rocky body with a smug grin. It was a one on one battle, the trainer assigned to her only wanting a test run of her strength. "Sky-" She didn't wait for a command. Graveler was a rock type, weak against fighting, water, grass, steel and ground. A reddish yellow blur zipped towards the opponent and slammed a fist into the round stomach, sending the creature hurtling into the air. A few gasps came from the audience, both trainers too stunned by her complete lack of obedience to do anything as the Blaziken leapt after the foe, somersaulting above the Graveler and then slamming a foot into him, sending him crashing into the ground, cracking the cement and knocking him out cold.

She wasn't finished. Without the restraints of the lab, no one and nothing could control her, and she knew it. She wasn't programmed to disobey, but her spirit was far too fierce to be contained. The trainer started to flee in fear as the crowd scattered like spilt beads but she covered the space between them in a few long strides, grabbing the back of his shirt in a dark grey clawed fist and flinging him into several other trainers that had let out Pokémon to subdue her. With them distracted, she sprinted away, not knowing where she was going or if they would follow, just needing to be free.

Unfortunately, some annoying little human had called out a Pokémon with hyper beam and she felt the powerful blast singe her arm as she rolled to the side. A zap cannon attack had been fired in the wake of the beam and hit her full pelt in the chest, throwing her dangerously close to the edge where the earth had parted and The Under lay far beneath.

She'd never survive the fall.

"Quick! Someone catch her!" Her body was reluctant to respond to her brain and she was slowly slipping off the edge with no way to save herself. She was paralysed and helpless. Her muscles burned like they hadn't in days since she was pushed to her limits to force her to evolve into a Blaziken. A few more rocks crumbled away from beneath her left leg, the limb falling off the ledge and pulling the rest of her body with it. A human cried out. Consciousness was slipping from her grasp but she wasn't sure she wanted to hold on. The darkness engulfed the fire bird, the air cooling as she fell further and further.

She couldn't fly as she didn't have wings, but when she jumped up into the sky and felt that freedom and weightlessness... it was the same feeling if she forgot about the fact that she was falling.

A cold wet monster sharply grabbed her and embraced her in a suffocating grip, dragging her down into its coils. Her nerves responded to her sheer force of willpower, fingers giving a feeble twitch; she could swim, if she could get her legs moving she could save herself. Her knees tingled and her toes flexed but otherwise refused to cooperate; the monster was weighing her feathers down, pushing her away from the lights of The Under. A single large white spotlight stared down at her, distorted by the undulating water.

It couldn't end like this. She was finally free...they would think her dead, and she could live here instead if she could only save herself.

The surface exploded in a surge of white bubbles, a giant black shape piercing the monsters coils and diving towards her. Her vision blurred and faded to black as orange eyes, reflecting the refracted light in the water became distinct in the gloom, blue skin taking on an eerie sheen.

* * *

Rui had never been so far east before. She had no map to tell exactly where they were, but she guessed they must be in the Calm Flats as the sand was finer and there were few, if any formations of rock to be seen. This wasn't where the Calm Flats got their names though, they were simply large areas that very rarely had any storms and there had never been any sightings of the sand beasts that haunted bedtime stories.

Her human companion parked the death trap motorbike in the shade of a corrugated iron lean to, allowing the engine to cool off a little. She heard him murmur something about gasoline and coolant as she followed him into the diner with its rather loud colour scheme. The Eeveelutions obediently stayed at their heels. They ordered drinks and sat at the bar, Rui peering over the counter to see if she could spot any Pokéballs.

"Excuse me sir?" The bartender was a giant to Rui, but he did have a decidedly snazzy hat which made him harmless in her view. And he'd let her pick which colour straw she'd wanted.

"What can I do for you, little miss?"

"Do you have any balls?" Wes choked suddenly beside her, almost breathing soda up his nose, as the bartender gave her a quizzical look. The redhead was completely serious and didn't seem to realise her mistake.

"She means Pokéballs," The older teen interjected, much to the giant's amusement.

"Oh, right! You want to be more careful with the way you word things, miss...hmm, I still have some left. We didn't have much call for them around these parts so I took them off display. Where'd I put them now..." The bartender disappeared behind the bar, searching as Rui suddenly blushed deep crimson, realising what she'd said. 'Think before you speak Rui, always think.' The redhead tapped her fingers on the counter once she'd recovered from wanting to sink into the floor in horror and wrinkled her nose as the smell of tobacco smoke wafted over to her. Much to her disdain, she found Wes smoking as he flicked through the paper on the counter. Noticing her frown, he held up the front page with a smirk for her to see. There was a picture of what she supposed what was Snagem's hideout, or at least the smouldering remains. The main shell of the building still stood, but there were giant holes in the walls and debris everywhere, with police swarming the scene. Some large bold printed headline was above it and she skimmed the report briefly.

The authorities had no idea what was really going on. "Here we are! They're a little dusty I'm afraid but otherwise perfectly usable. You can have these for free for making me laugh. If you want anymore...well, how about buying them from me?" He handed her the top five and Rui nudged Wes with her hip, her arms being full and not trusting her balance to nudge him with her foot.

"How many do you think we need?"

'I believe we shall require more. Perhaps some great balls too?' Exhaling smoke (Rui's frown returning) the older teen scratched the back of his neck.

"Do you have any great or ultra balls?" The man with the snazzy bandana searched behind the bar again, resurfacing with another box of the black and yellow and blue and red spheres. "Five of each," The man nodded, Rui calling Umbreon back over to them as Wes paid for the Pokémon catching devices. The dark Pokémon had become entranced by the jukebox again and somewhere beside her Espeon gave a long suffering sigh. For brothers, they sure were a world apart.

Exiting the diner, Rui suddenly found her vision darkened as a pair of metallic blue sunshades slid behind her ears. Wes gave an approving smirk and took the Pokéballs from her so she could adjust them as she saw fit. They had silver frames and covered her eye area effectively against the wind.

This was a warning that they would be going faster on the way back.

The sunglasses were very comfortable and she noted with a grin as she looked at her refection on the bonnet of a very shiny hover car parked in the little shelter how well they suited her. The sandy haired boy slotted a red token into the gas pump, unscrewing the cap of the fuel tank and filling the brute. With a quick check of the cooling system, the bike was deemed fit for another blast across the arid desert. Wes pondered their route a minute as he started the engine.

If he cut straight across the Calm Flats, there would be no beaten track to follow and two rivers to cross. But it would be a lot quicker...taking about an hour off their journey. He drummed leather encased fingers on the handles for a few seconds before deciding on the shorter route. It was only a little off-roading after all.

'Sir, this is not the road.'

'I know. We're taking a shortcut,' Espeon didn't question further as they sped up, one distraction at these speeds could kill them all in an instant. The blue eyed girl settled down in the sidecar, gaze wondering over the haze above the engine. The horizon was the same, shimmering in the heat of the Orre sun. She was on the verge of falling asleep to the rumbling growl of 'Sheila I' and the whirr of the hover motor when a dark shape loomed into view to her left. Wes had apparently spotted it too and sped up rather than moving away from it. At first, Rui didn't realise why until she looked past the driver to another shadowy figure - people on motorbikes, completely covered in white outfits with cyber blue panels. There weren't just two either, a glance behind confirmed two others, one a woman or a strangely curved man. The light glinted off their helmets as they closed in on the two teens and the brothers, the purple and red machine keeping just a little way in front. The gap was soon closed however as the goons flanking them drew level, blocking off escape. They were guiding him North, towards the old hideout. A monstrous canyon rose ominously out of the heat haze, that being their apparent destination. If Wes' memory served him right, the river was about a mile after the end of the monolithic rock when it was at its most ferocious before it split in two. Umbreon was pulling faces at the bikers, the chin straps of his aviator goggles flapping around in the wind. He was pretty sure he recognised this place...

'Sir! They've blocked off the exit at the end of the canyon and we can't go around it-'

'The we'll just have to go over it,' Rui gave the honey eyed boy a horrified look, seeing the slight slope up the face of the right stone tower as both loomed into view. It was as though Groudon itself had driven the earth up from beneath and it had ruptured straight down the middle.

As far as the girl was concerned, the slope was far too steep for even this fiend to climb and it was going to hurt if she was proved correct. The ex-snagger knew what he was doing, more or less, thumbing a red button as they approached the hill. The biker to the right swerved to a shaky stop as Sheila roared up the slope towards the wall, spiked wheel digging into the crevices and driving them upwards. 'Hold on tight,' Rui didn't like the look of Wes' smirk as his thumb pushed the button in, sending the engine into overdrive as it gained a nitrous boost. Sheila's power was doubled and she careened up the steep incline with ease, the exhausts spurting blue flame with the noise bordering on deafening. The redhead was virtually lying down in her seat, holding the Pokémon tight as she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.

This was _insane_.

But she trusted Wes. He knew this bike better than her, and if he thought it could make it, it could make it. She thought she'd died when her body became weightless for a moment, seeing only blue sky above when she dared to peek. Sheila landed on the flat top of the canyon wall, the nitrous used but the speed remaining as the teen gunned the engine and they zoomed off. She could feel the Pokémon trembling as badly as her.

'Just a small question Sir, how do we plan on getting down?'

'Don't worry, I know the way.'

'Hopefully not the same sort of way down as the way up, Sir.' Espeon's ears lay flat against his head, his heart beating as erratically as Rui's own. Umbreon was rambling at light speed about an adrenaline rush being even better than a sugar rush and Espeon promptly cut the psychic link with him. He was too psyched to notice though and was more than happy to ramble to himself.

The girl decided it was probably not best to tell her grandparents _every_ detail of her excursion.

Blue eyes widened upon seeing the sudden drop at the end on the canyon, clinging to the dashboard as the bike tipped forward and the sky zipped out of her line of sight. Granted, it wasn't as steep as the way up, but it was still no forty-five degrees. She wondered how in Mew's name they were still seated. The bike reared as they reached the bottom, sending the cylinder heads upwards to prevent them from making passionate love to the ground at over ninety miles per hour. With barely a pause, the wheel clawed into the sand and pushed them onward across the barren lands. Rui risked a glance behind them, finding no pursuers. They obviously realised the boy was in no mood for a meeting and dangerous to boot.

And he called her crazy. At least she didn't have a psychotic death wish.

The river sparkled as it came into sight, the rock which cleaved the river into two separate paths visible from their chosen crossing point. No matter how much it sparkled, the water was treacherous. It foamed and frothed like a rabid animal, a far cry from the gently trickling streams of Agate.

"Who were those people?" Sheila slowed to a stop, Espeon peering over the small windshield of the sidecar, eyes glowing as he lifted a dead tree on the other side right out of the sand and laying it over the water on a raised patch of bank.

"Every major company in Orre has ties with crime. They all have their own little 'assassin squads' too. Snagem's are dressed in red and black. I don't know what company they were with, but I wasn't sticking around to find out." Wes reached over and ruffled the Pokémon's fur before guiding the bike carefully across the trunk. Rui wondered if he knew the tree was here.

'Yes. We've crossed here before.'

'What have I told you about reading people's minds?'

'...No to, Sir.' Once clear and Espeon had pushed the tree back into its grave, Wes sat back in his seat, stopping again.

"Good boy. Following this river should take us back to Phenac."

"Should." As though trying to convince himself, he nodded slowly.

"One river leads down to Lake Phenac, the other to a waterfall which goes down into a deep cave. A friend told me about it one summer." Running a hand back through his spiky hair to dislodge any sand, the boy gave a heavy sigh. What a detour...maybe they should just stick to the roads next time.

* * *

_He was tired she noted with a predatory smile. Soft, pale fingertips brushed the rich orange voile aside, stalking towards the spiky haired young teen as he lay with his eyes closed in the nest of luxurious cushions and silken sheets. Somewhere beneath them was a giant round mattress, but she hadn't seen it for a while. She crawled over the opulent bed to his side, golden feline eyes sliding open lazily as she stroked hair of his face with a loving caress._

_Her blue eyes closed as she leaned down, kissing her lover tenderly yet with evident hunger. The room was dim and held a soft warm glow, the sun falling behind the temple where they resided. Their temple, their palace. Sometimes he wondered if the padding of small feet and children's giggles would ever fill them._

"_You are tired, love?" He smiled, extending a hand to touch her shoulder, fingering the light material covering her now they'd shed their ceremonial garments. _

"_That depends." They were young, though no one dared frown upon them. He'd made himself young to grow up with her._

"_We have another gathering to attend tomorrow, love; the outer city priests are arriving early. We are expected to greet them." He sighed heavily and rolled onto his side, cuddling close to her. Sometimes, being the king was not quite as wonderful as it seemed. But he was proud of his choices; every land should be ruled by a creature of several thousand years, even if many of his people only thought of his origins as rumours. If only they knew._

_Orre was rich in jewels and precious metals, the people prospering in what became known as the desert of gold and only few thought of his relationship with the human woman as unorthodox. Most thought of them as the connection between humans and Pokémon. "Leo?" A kiss on her neck. A pause. And suddenly he pulled her on top of him with a devilish smirk._

"_You know, it's not _that_ late..."

* * *

_

Author's Note: Ah, Caroline would be proud of little Wezzie-bear's 'psychotic death wish'. :3 Oh, and I apologise for the silly innuendo with the Pokéballs...very immature, I know. Really, vanilla liquorice sticks plus fizzy pop plus one perverted mind whilst replaying Pokémon Colosseum a clean thought train does not make. You should see the reference script... Fear the rabid Plusles...

Ahem!

I don't know why but as soon as I started writing this fan fiction, all these crazy ideas about the land of Orre started popping up and they've started taking root in my head. Nintendo has so much they could have – _should have_- done with Pokémon Colosseum, yet didn't. It's a damn shame.

Feedback welcomed as always. Hopefully, there will be no more interruptions now, and I can work on chapter 6 (and a little RuixWes fic set after PC) to my heart's content!


	6. Eclipse

. o b r u m b r a t a .

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait! x-x A friend came to stay for a week and then I went over another friend's house for another week and- yes. Very little time with my computer. Two weeks (or thereabouts) until college and an excuse to stay in my room all day.

Chapter 7 shouldn't be too far off. I hope... n.n

Huge huggles to reviewers, you are the **BEST**! I feel warm and fuzzy inside whenever I see one. You give me reason to write.

Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo. I'm just...borrowing (yes, let's go with that) the characters and such to try and do the first Pokémon 3D RPG some justice.

----------------------------------------------------------(line thingy not showing up x-x)

Chapter 6 - Eclipse

_The child swung his legs back and forth whilst sitting on the wall, drumming his fingers on the brickwork to the rhythm of his favourite band playing on his new walkman. The older girl had given it to him for his birthday and he was rarely without it. He'd brought the band's newest album whilst waiting for her, leaving him happy to sit in the shade as she finished 'business'. She'd instructed him to call it that after a few strange looks at his innocent questions. _

"_Hey." A soft thump as she dropped down beside him. He smiled and leaned against her shoulder as she pulled him into a hug, ruffling spiky sand coloured hair. "Gonna have to get your hair cut, Wezzie, it's longer than mine." She gave a chuckle at his frown. Wesley thought it was an unfair comparison, his hair was always longer the girl's. Pale green locks fell to her jaw at the front and sloped up on both sides to meet at the back in a shallow inverted 'v' shape, underneath short and ruffled. Two bangs at the very front fell to her collarbone and were tipped with lime. With her dark complexion, it made her seem like some kind of character from a cartoon show he'd seen once. _

_He touched the top of his head self-consciously nevertheless, as though trying to measure his own hair through touch._

"_It's not that long..." Turquoise eyes studied him for a moment before shrugging._

"_Meh, it looks better long. Got you a soda," She rummaged in her shoulder bag and produced a condensation covered can of fizz. It was wonderfully cold and the eleven year old was content to hold it for a little while prior to drinking it. "So, you said you were going to let me listen to this band you like. 'Psycho Boost', was it?" The boy pulled out an earphone and offered it to her. She smiled and took it and picked at a fleck of mud on his baggy three-quarters in a motherly manner. There were big mesh sections cut in the lower legs, and they were made out of the same sort of cool material as his hoodie to ensure he wouldn't overheat and end up being dunked (courtesy of Caz) in one of Phenac's cool blue fountains. Whether this would contribute to killing him or actually cool him down Caroline hadn't decided, but the threat remained every time she found him in an article of clothing not best suited for the heat. Oddly though, she couldn't remember the boy once overheating, but could recall plenty of times he'd starting shivering when the air had only the faintest chill. _

_She noticed with a smile that the garment bore the band's logo on the back. "They're pretty good you know. What's this album called?"_

"_Virus Core. Their first one was called Wild. The lead singer is getting married in two months." She listened as the child talked animatedly about the band, the insanely hard mix of trance, metal and haunting lyrics with strong tribal and industrial influences fuelling his enthusiasm. "I think they have a tour coming up this month." He trailed off with a thoughtful frown._

"_I'll take you to it." He turned his head a little too quickly to look at her, tugging the earphone out. _

"_Really?" Finding the plug, he rested back in his ear, catching the ending bars of 'Night Blaze'._

"_Sure. Find out when and where they are and I'll bring the gang too." He grinned broadly and wiggled next to her in excitement. She had discovered that small children were prone to wiggling. He took a long drink from the can to recover from his account of 'Psycho Boost' and finally looked up at her, squinting as the sun glanced off the corner of her large silver sunshades. As always, the sky was virtually cloudless, the land holding little water to be sucked up and carried about._

"_How did it go?" She loved the kid's big golden eyes, even if they were a rather unusual colour. He was too adorable for even her to resist; her nickname in her 'clan' being 'ole Salamence'. Brushing a lock of hair from his cheek with her fingerless gloved hand, Caz wrinkled her nose, pulling the strap of her white vest top up again. It was from the official Desert Racers line of clothing and her favourite top. Desert Racing was the reason she had so many scars and had had broken several bones and had been in two comas and had to be resuscitated once _and_ drove like a maniac. Because she was one of them, one of the Desert Racers. In the champion clan in fact. _

_Desert Racing was a popular -though rather dangerous- sport where racers sped across the lands and obstacles of Orre in a bid to achieve whatever goal was set. There were various race types and various cups and so on and so forth, but the danger and adrenaline and wild machines were as standard. _

"_A little messy, he flailed some and I had to use more bullets to shut him up quicker. Haven't missed a spot have I?" The boy reached up and wiped a tiny carmine droplet from just above the clan markings with his thumb. "Thanks...y'know...I had a talk with Sid after he saw you race that time...and he said that you're welcome to join." He blushed at being caught looking at the two black bars - one shorter and followed by a square - across her left cheek. He hadn't realised he'd been staring again. Her thumb traced a line across the bridge of his nose and cheekbones. "White. Yeah, I think that'd look good."_

"_He really said it was okay?"_

"_Sure did. Said he hadn't ever seen racing like that from a kid your age." The boy gave a warm smile and clung to her like a big sister and she rested her head on top of his, smiling. This kid didn't deserve what had happened, he deserved better than this life. 'Some day, things _will_ be better. I promise.' "Race you back to the bike, if you beat me you can drive." She jumped off the wall and skipped a few steps before breaking into a run with the child racing after her. She was laughing as she ran and she could hear the laughter in his voice as he yelled at her for getting a head start. _

_So what if their job was criminal? For those hours together when no one knew who they were, they were just kids running around town and laughing and mucking about with the other kids (Though at eighteen, Caroline was a little old for a 'kid'). The ones who'd never held guns and never had to fight for their lives and never stood helpless as their kind, loving parents were slaughtered right in front of their eyes. The scars on the eyes are the scars on the soul and no amount of time and cover up can hide them._

_In that time, they were free. _

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------_

The owner of the parking lot was absent when they arrived back in Phenac, Espeon's ears flattening against his skull, tail twitching. Umbreon shifted, using a paw to push the goggles to his forehead, mirroring Rui as she placed her new shades above the bangs that framed her face.

"Bree..." He murmured and leapt out of the sidecar first, nosing the air and grazing the psychics gaze with his own. 'That scent...'

"Espi, Espeon." His brother replied, 'Stay close, don't let down you guard.'

"It's so quiet..." Rui commented, keeping her own voice low in fear of drawing attention to them any more than Sheila already had. People stood in hushed clusters in town as they reached the main square, muttering in their groups. Rui and Wes exchanged looks; Umbreon's nostrils flaring as he prowled ahead, trying to make sense of the smells – the fear, the anger, the hate, the confusion. Wes knew just by their body language that his partners had sensed the shadow Pokémon. Several townsfolk looked their way and the muttering increased or was hushed as they passed.

"Isn't that the kids who-"

"-Earlier, by the fountain-"

"-A kidnapping!"

"-after them again?"

The woman in pink who had been there when Rui was freed from her kidnappers spotted them and came scooting over.

"Oh, thank goodness! A group of men came into town about an hour ago, one of them like some disco disaster, and they went to the Mayor's house. I swear those creeps who kidnapped you were there too; I'd be real careful if I were you, they didn't look too happy and I think the others are back up."

"Thank you for telling us." The woman smiled and placed a hand on Rui's shoulder. When she left, heels clicking on the light stone, the redhead turned to Wes with an anxious look in her bright blue eyes. "What should we do, Wes? What if they've brought their boss?" The older teen was already heading for the Mayor's home. Espeon looked back at her, encouraging her to follow. His master's lack of fear gave him courage to go near whatever it was that smelt so evil.

"One of them has a shadow Pokémon, right?" The teen's tone was as hard-hearted as ever, though it had lost the frosty edge. Either that or she'd become accustomed to it quicker than she thought.

"Well, yes..."

"We have the means to catch it. They were easy last time; they'll probably be even easier this time." Rui fought back a groan. Holy Rayquaza, men were stupid.

"Wes, you didn't _see_ the shadow Pokémon fight! It didn't matter whether there was a type disadva-" The golden eyed boy forced the sliding door open and stepped inside the office; Rui hesitated for a moment, quickly deciding to risk it and scoot in after him, smacking into his back with a muffled 'oof!'. He'd stopped almost as soon as he'd crossed the threshold, the girl not being able to see very clearly as her eyes adjusted to the darker surroundings and charging right into him.

He was warm, like a Charmander she'd hugged once, heated by a fire within.

Rui wasn't sure if she wanted to see what had made him stop so abruptly, she was terrible in horror films and would probably end up clinging to Wes and choking him. Slowly, cautiously, she peeked over his shoulder in fear of what she might find, the sight not quite as she'd anticipated.

A tall, slim man stood with his back to them, clad in a yellow disco suit of some sort with massive flares and sleeves. His sleeves ended in five long spikes of material, a pair of roller-skates adorning his feet, some sort of shoulder guard _thing _threatening to poke someone's eye out and none of the above even _compared_ to the most striking feature.

On the man's head was an enormous sphere of hair – one half red and the other white – which resembled a Pokéball; it was so large the female teen wondered idly if it were actually a small moon and caused eclipses. He turned at their entrance, the afro whacking Trudly across the face as Folly jabbed his finger at Wes in horror. Wes was still staring in abject dismay at the _thing_ perched atop the man's cranium. A pair of gold sunglasses rested on the afro-wielding man's thin nose, star earrings tingling in the hush that had fallen.

"Master Miror B.! It-it's him! He's the one that took the girl from us!" With long spindly fingers, 'Miror B.' moved his sunglasses down to study Wes for a moment and then turned back to Trudly and Folly, afro smacking Trudly on the other cheek this time. Three younger men stood off to the side in a row in either blue, green or red suits, complete with helmet and neckerchief. They snickered as the blue hat was thwacked.

"Oh, now aren't you boys _frightfully_ pathetic?" Miror B.'s accent was one neither human had ever heard before, and weren't entirely sure actually existed. It was a feminine, theatrical drawl that in other circumstances would have been funny. "Are trying to tell me you were bested by these _darling_ infants?" He placed a well manicured hand on top of Wes' head in a patronising gesture as the teen was still hypnotised by the giant Pokéball. However, the villain's hand was swiftly batted away as he returned to his senses, though the globe still unnerved him. Miror B. looked down at him with an arched eyebrow and pursed his lips. "Darling, your name's Wes, hmm? Yes, not many people have _that_ colour eyes." He sniffed haughtily and shifted his weight with one hand still resting on his hip, continuing before Wes could ask how he knew Team Snagem. He'd never seen these guys before and he had been in one of the highest ranks. "I _so_ don't like saying this, but we're not at liberty to keep your lady friend at liberty. That sweet young thing can see things ordinary people aren't _supposed_ to see. That just will not do for what we're planning to do," Trudly ducked in time as Miror B. shook his head. "No, it just won't do at _all_. But you seem to be the type who doesn't just get out of the way, so I think a more _permanent_ solution is needed for _you_." Fluffing his afro, the man's voice rose a little more as he called to Trudly and Folly. "Boys, oh _boys_!" He gave them a meaningful look.

"Yes, sir!" The yellow and gold clad man gave a broad and bright white grin.

"Boys, I shall make my return to Pyrite now. _Do_ remember that I will be waiting for you to return with the little lady _and_ our young friend here, seems he's of value too. Am I making myself clear? I _won't_ accept failure from you boys again, fuhohoho!" The hand he'd been fluffing his hair with was flung into the air as he threw his head back and gave a delighted giggle.

A delighted, girly, _evil_ giggle.

"Let the music spin! Let's get it _on_!" A three man band appeared from absolutely nowhere and started playing some sort of salsa at the man's request. Wes was struck by incomprehensible fear as Miror B. turned as though to hug him but instead danced out the door. More sedately, the men in red, green and blue followed silently, each giving him a rather creepy look (Rui thought they were more flirtatious than anything, but kept quiet). Wes shuddered, 'this just gets weirder and weirder...'

Folly suffered some sort of inner explosion during which he made several incoherent noises of anger and veins throbbed in his forehead and on the back of his fist. Jabbing a finger at Wes again he growled.

"You-you...YOU!" He stamped his foot like a little kid, jaw clenched as he hissed through his teeth. "The last time you caught me off guard! That's not gong happen again!" Taking two Pokéballs from his belt, the flame haired youth released a Lombre and a Loudred, both male, both looking almost was riled as their trainer. Rui hadn't seen Wes battle before and scooted behind the desk, out of harms way as Espeon and Umbreon stepped up to the challenge. She didn't usually like to watch Pokémon battles, but she was curious to see just how good he was. And be on the lookout for the shadow Pokémon, of course.

Umbreon still had his aviator goggles on and looked psychotic as he bared sharp teeth in a big grin. "Lombre, rock smash on Umbreon! Loudred, hold down Umbreon with multiple substitute!" So, Folly was actually using teamwork instead of leaving both open to attack. The Loudreds pounced on the black Eeveelution, pinning him in place as Lombre leapt high into the air. Wes remained calm.

"Espeon, close the blinds," The room was thrown in to darkness as the sun was blotted out by heavy wood. Rui frowned at the tactic, not sure what Wes was hoping to achieve by making it darker. The yellow rings on the trapped brother's body glowed. "Umbreon, shadow flux!" Umbreon melted in with the shadows on the floor, disappearing as Lombre hit the ground and destroyed the substitutes. The real, now weakened, Loudred spun as Umbreon leapt up from the shadows behind him with that mad grin still in place. Dark types were masters of the shadows, and there were plenty without the sunlight. "Head butt!"

_Thwack!_

The purple Pokémon reeled from the blow, obviously knocked dizzy from the dark type's terribly strong skull. But Wes wasn't about to let it rest. Lombre's fist was stuck in the ground, tugging desperately at it as Folly shouted at Loudred to make him stop swaying. "Espeon, help out Lombre," The lavender feline wrenched the grass and water type free, and then flung him into the normal type. Standing over the fallen foes, Umbreon shivered and then sprayed poisonous sweat from his pores to finally subdue them.

Easy.

With a curse, Folly returned both Pokémon; he would have to warn the higher powers that this guy wasn't afraid to use the Pokémon's natural abilities to his advantage in battle. No wonder he'd been one of Snagem's best.

"Damn, I got tripped up again..." Trudly nudged him and smirked, throwing two Pokéballs forward.

"My turn now! I won't go down as easily as Folly!"

"_Dude_, I'm right here..."

"Sorry."

"Umbreon, bite Duskull!" Trudly was easily distracted Wes noted with an inward smirk. The dark type leapt at the ghost and just missed as it dropped through the floor, Umbreon skidding to a halt and looking round for the target. Ariados scuttled towards Espeon without order, rearing up and slamming her legs into the ground where Espeon had stood moments before leaping back. "Confusion!" Ariados looked up into Espeons glowing purple eyes and knew immediately she was in dire trouble. She acted as fast as the psychic, spitting sticky web in his face as she was flung back, softening the force. Landing squarely on all six legs, Ariados spat another glob of web at Espeons feet rendering him immobile and unable to see. Duskull still missing, Umbreon heard the order to stop Ariados and obeyed with a bite to the back of her neck, distracting her from attacking her brother as she flailed and hissed. Green, slimy blood trickled out of the wounds, Umbreon being careful not to let it touch his tongue as it was probably poisonous.

"Duskull now! Ice beam!"

"Espeon, reflect – front, upper left!" As the little ghost dropped out of the ceiling and fired the attack, it bounced off an invisible barrier on Espeon's front upper left and covered the ceiling in thick frost. Trudly was underestimating how much Espeon trusted Wes. "Open the shutters again!" The sun light glared into the room with fierce brilliance, momentarily blinding the occupants. "Umbreon, Duskull's distracted!" The dark type didn't need to be told twice, kicking off from the venomous arachnid and up at the one eyed ghost, knocking it out in a single hit. The ground underneath Ariados erupted with purple energy, slamming her into the wall as Espeon glowed in the light. The web hardened and fell off with a shake of his head, freeing him finally. Umbreon stood beside him, just out of the shaft of light, and wagged his tail whilst Trudly returned the Pokémon. Though used to the light, the dark Pokémon still preferred the shadows.

"Don't think you're out of the woods yet, kid. It's time you found out just what you're dealing with here." The Pokéball sailed high into the air, a white light erupting onto the floor and taking form as a Makuhita. Except Wes had never seen an unhappy Makuhita that simply stood and glared.

"Wes! It's that one! That's the one with a black aura!" Rui's voice was pained, and she was clutching her head as though she had a headache. Did seeing the auras hurt her? "We've got to help it!"

"Enough! Makuhita, ATTACK!" The gutsy Pokémon darted forwards, the Eon brothers leaping to either side and getting ready for retaliation, only to realise they weren't its target. The teen had a mere moment to realise the fist was coming towards _him_. It narrowly missed his head as he leaned back, connecting with his collarbone and sending him into the opposite wall that Ariados had hit. He tasted the salty metallic tang as he bit his tongue, felt a flare of pain in his head upon contact with the unyielding brick and for the briefest moment felt a darkness colder than anything he'd felt before pass over him.

There was a terrible silence in which Rui honestly thought Wes had been knocked out or worse and Espeon and Umbreon could only stare in horror and disbelief. Trudly shifted uncomfortably, hoping Makuhita hadn't _killed_ the guy. Miror B. had instructed them to merely subdue him and bring him along; but then, that was the problem with shadow Pokémon. "I meant attack the _Pokémon_!" The villain shouted, though with less fervour than before lest he be the next target.

There was a slight groan and Wes sat up, one hand pressed against his chest as he glared at the floor for a few moments, trying to figure out what that darkness had been and whether he could still breathe properly. He'd been knocked out before, more than once, but it hadn't felt like that; he hadn't felt emotions that weren't his own, of hate and anger and confusion and fear. Slowly he rose his feet, feeling the cut on his lip bleeding once more and discovering he hadn't bitten his tongue too deeply, Espeon heaving the fighting type into the air to prevent it attacking again, so tempted the smash it through every wall in the house.

"Let it go Espeon, I want to see how these shadow Pokémon fare in battle." The Makuhita landed on his feet as the lavender brother dropped him, showing no emotion at all as he sized up the two opponents.

"Maku-" Trudly got no further before Makuhita lifted the heavy wooden desk which Rui had been behind and threw it at the brothers. The goggle-head easily dodged, Espeon glowing as he stood his ground, stopping the flying object in the air and throwing it back at the Makuhita. Umbreon tackled Rui to the ground as the desk caught the shadow Pokémon under the ribs and slammed him into the wall, then fell to the ground. The wood split and cracked upon impact, barely recognisable as a desk anymore, the wall dented; Makuhita tore his way out with a snarl, several open wounds on his thick skin misting with black haze as they healed without a potion. Rui gasped in pain, squeezing her eyes shut as she held her head with both hands.

"I-it's changed colour! The aura is red!" The sandy haired teen guessed that was a bad thing, staying well clear as the hyped up Makuhita and Espeon glared at each other.

How _dare_ this creature attack his master. Espeon didn't care if it was a shadow Pokémon or not, _no one_ hurt Sir.

"_Espeon_!" He cried, eyes ablaze as the floorboards ripped from the floor to join others swirling in the air around the psychic. Like giant, out of shape knives, the boards imbedded into the walls and floor as Makuhita barely dodged them. The yellow beast managed to get close enough to land a punch, knocking the wind right out of the Eeveelution and making stars appear in his sight. Another powerful punch forced a yelp out of him as he was thrown into the ragged remains of the floor.

"Espeon!" Wes called - concern evident in his voice.

"Espi..." The Pokémon replied weakly. Umbreon charged in from the side, sending the foe flying into the television where he convulsed violently from the electricity coursing over the thick fat. Unable to move, the enraged Pokémon was helpless. Seeing Trudly raise his hand to return it, Wes pulled a Pokéball from his belt, the snag machine converting it into a snag ball with a whirr and a flash. He threw it in a perfect arc, light exploding out as the mouth of the ball opened, forming a hand which closed over the paralyzed creature and pulled it back into the Pokéball without Trudly being able to do anything about it. The ball flew back into Wes' outstretched hand, the snag machine sending a few waves of electricity over it before settling. Rui gave a giggle of delight. Wes had caught him! Now, maybe they could help the poor little guy...

"This Makuhita is officially my property; the authorities can even check the ID number. But I'm sure we don't want to drag them into this, right?" He smirked as both men gaped at him, Pokéball still held in the green haired one's hand. The teen crossed to his partners and knelt beside them as Trudly spluttered.

"Wh-what? My Pokémon! You...you snagged my shadow Pokémon...that's amazing." Espeon was still able to walk, and perked up some more after a potion and fuss and praise from his master.

"Hey numbskull! We're not supposed to be impressed! Oh man...what are we going to do? Miror B.'s gonna kill us!" Wes rose again, watching the two 'villains' panic.

"What do we do? What is there to do? Run away!" Both sped out the door, running as fast as their legs would carry them.

"Wes!"

"Oof!" Rui nearly winded him as she flung her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug. 'Ow...' His collarbone wasn't happy with the hug however. Luckily, the Makuhita hadn't put its full strength into the hit, so it was probably just a very nasty bruise. Hopefully. Well, he wasn't in excruciating pain, so he guessed it wasn't a fracture or anything more.

"You did it! I knew you could! Oh, you were awesome!" She gave a muffled giggle into his shoulder and clung to him long enough for him to take the hint and gingerly rest a hand on her back.

Rui, having lived in the village that produced most of the fragrance oils and such sold in Orre, was mildly disappointed that she couldn't quite place the scent on his skin as she held him tight. There was a light smell of tobacco masking it, but she could still tell that it was going to become one of her favourites. It reminded her of musk but had a more exotic and warm undertone. After a moment more, she thought it was wise to let go before he thought she was sniffing him to eat. No need to give him another reason to think she was crazy; she wasn't even sure what the first reason was.

He felt a small kiss on his cheek before she turned to the Pokémon and cuddled them too, leaving him to lightly touch where she kissed for a brief moment until he shook it off.

'Don't even go there.' He warned his own mind in case it developed an annoying little Espeon sounding voice telling him he liked her. "That was a pretty nasty hit you know." She looked up at him from the floor, bright, innocent blue looking right into his soul. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a bruise I think." She determined that he was telling the truth and not simply dealing with a broken ribcage and smiled, rising to her feet and straightening her skirt out of habit. She was going to have to buy some more clothes if they didn't get to Agate for a while.

"I'll check later if you want, my Grandma taught me some good tricks to heal bruises real quick. Let's go to the Pokémon centre and heal up, then we can decide what we're going to do with Makuhita." Liquid gold traced over the wrecked office.

"And the Mayor?" The redhead was silent for a long minute.

"I'm sure he'll understand." She smiled, took his gloved hand and led him out into Phenac, not seeming to mind when he pulled his hand out of her grip. 'Don't make me like you Rui.'

There were crowds at each exit of the city, making the streets nearly deserted as they walked to the centre. As the three Pokémon healed, Rui asked the nurse what was going on outside, engaging in conversation for quite some time. Wes had sat down at one of the tables again and let out a heavy sigh, in need of another cigarette but choosing to wait until they were out of the Pokémon centre.

He hoped every shadow Pokémon wasn't going to attack him, he could almost feel how purple the bruise was and it was making it difficult to move his neck or arms too much, let alone take deep breaths. The Eevee brothers followed Rui over as she sat beside him. She held the Pokéball carefully in her hands, being sure to avoid the release button. Her fingers stroked over its smooth surface, Wes wondering if she was sub-consciously trying to soothe the Pokémon.

"The nurse said that these weird guys in uniforms are blocking the exits to the city. They're fierce battlers and won't let anyone pass. From what she's been told by the trainers, she described those three in helmets we saw in the Mayor's house."

"Espeon's going to need some time to rest his mental powers. I don't know if Makuhita will listen to me," Rui tugged on his sleeve as she rose to her feet.

"Well, let's go to the park and see – oh! And do you have a PDA?"

"Somewhere, why?" It was in _a_ pocket of his blue duster last he remembered. Damn technology being all light and small and easy to loose...

"Because I met this teacher lady in the Pre Gym who upgrades them for free. She puts a log of all the Pokémon you've encountered on it, and she'll fill in all their information when you go back to her again. Cool, huh?"

"I guess..." The honey eyed boy could easily remember the Pokémon he'd encountered, but he supposed it would be useful to keep track of the shadow Pokémon. Wordlessly, he followed thee cheery girl back out into the heat, starting to fade as the sun drifted lower.

He feared he was becoming quite attached to her.

---------------------------------------------

Author's Note: Did anyone else stop and STARE at Miror B.'s head for a good few minutes before realising they should be reading the text? And imagine a mini band popping up whenever his theme music appears? (Or a solemn looking fellow with an old record player.)

Hmm.

I started the base draft of the RuixWes ficlet I mentioned a chapter or two ago, 'Stars and Satellites' (title might change). (I think I mentioned it here...) So hopefully, I can slink into a Pokémon mood and type like crazy. When not in college. Which starts soon. Eep.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed, thoughts and questions welcomed (as well as any corrections to mistakes I've made x-x) and I'll see you in Chapter 7 – Creepy Happy People! n.n


	7. Creepy Happy People

. o b r u m b r a t a .

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! College is absolutely awesome and it's been taking up all the time and Kingdom Hearts 2 came out and so did Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition (Vergil! Yummy!) and...yes, excuses, excuses. x-x But! Seeing those review messages in my inbox made me gasp and realise it had been a month (or more?) since the last update and chapter 8 is mostly written. (mild warning, it goes into Wes' past quite a bit, and...it's not exactly sunshine and rainbows...)

I love Justy, honest! It's just...The Pre Gym _IS_ creepy happy!

Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo. I'm just...borrowing (yes, let's go with that) the characters and such to try and do the first Pokémon 3D RPG some justice.

* * *

Chapter 7 – Creepy Happy People

The very instant he walked into the Pre Gym, Wes wanted to leave.

It oozed happiness. _Oozed._

Not Rui sort of happiness, _creepy_ happiness. Every single occupant had a disturbing vacant look and was smiling about it, like they enjoyed being zombies. The only thing this creepy had been the flirty looks the three colour co-ordinated friends of Miror B. had given him.

"Rui, have you noticed _everyone_ in here is smiling?" Rui gave him a questioning look. Seeing that he was serious and was glaring at some woman standing by the entrance giving him a bright smile and wave, she couldn't help but giggle, pulling him along by the sleeve.

"Aren't they supposed to be smiling?" He gave a small incoherent grumble.

"Why are they so happy?" The redhead rolled her eyes and pulled him up the steps to meet Justy and it was suddenly apparent why the people were in this condition. They _were_ zombies. And in front of them - looking suspiciously human - was their leader.

'Umbreon, please – just...shut up.'

"Hi Justy! This is my friend I told you about, Wes," she attempted pushed Wes forwards, not getting very far as he was stronger than her and refused to move any closer. He may not have watched one too many horror flicks like Umbreon, but there was no escaping the creepy happy aura radiating from the mildly effeminate leader. "And Wes, this is Justy; he let me use the phone to call my grandparents."

"Pleased to meet you!" Justy extended a hand with a smile. Glare. The smile was replaced with a confused look and the hand fell. "Uh, I heard you like to battle?" Seeing Wes wasn't going to answer, Rui elbowed him in the ribs.

"Wes isn't much of a talker I'm afraid. Anyway, we've got important business to attend to; nice to speak to again, bye!" Tugging Wes with her, Rui (a little embarrassed) hastily made her way to the other side of the gym where a teacher was writing notes on a board for a small group of students to copy down.

_Brainwashing._

'Stop it...' A grin.

"Give me your PDA," Reluctantly, the teen handed over the electronic device (after locating it and muttering darkly about technology being too little). The blue eyed girl took the palm sized gadget to the teacher and after a little chat, skipped back, grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the woman who was armed with a two meter ruler. Wes suddenly pitied rag dolls. Obediently – but not without questioning – the seventeen-year-old stood still as the teacher measured his height and entered it into the PDA.

"There's a size comparison feature which shows a picture of the smallest and the largest Pokémon of that species that you've encountered against your height. It makes it easier to judge than reading off in feet and inches." The teacher explained, tapping a few more buttons and disconnecting the cable linking it to her computer. Returning it with a smile, the woman bid them farewell.

"To the park!" Rui instructed, Umbreon trotting beside her. Wes walked slowly behind after Umbreon nudged him quickly out of the Pre-Gym in fear of zombification, trying to figure out how to use the 'strategy memo' with Espeon warning him of any obstacles to avoid.

'Tree...lamp post...lamp post...steps...fountain-_fountain_-SIR!' The ex-snagger stopped just short of falling into the cool water, quickly changing course as Espeon gave a disgruntled sigh and followed. Humans were so easily distracted by shiny new - ooh, a skipper!

Tucked behind a row of neat little houses on a small estate, the park was the sort of place you couldn't find unless you knew where it was, which the younger teen somehow did. Rui led him through the winding streets for quite a while before they found the expanse of green dotted with palm trees and fountains and the Pokémon were instantly delighted with the number of skippers chirping and jumping around in the grass. Espeon was a lot more reserved in his joy over the small cricket-like bugs, while Umbreon pounced around after them. Thankfully, there were also very few people about and Makuhita was more confused than angry when it found itself before the two humans in the tranquil playing field. Espeon and Umbreon stopped terrorising the wildlife and came closer, the lavender brother keeping a wary eye on the shadow Pokémon.

He couldn't forgive so easily.

"Ku? Maku-kuhita?" Wes crouched in front of the Pokémon, knowing full well he was in hitting range and placed a gloved hand on top of the yellow creature's head. "Kuuu..." He gave a coo in contentment, liking the attention. Makuhita hadn't been a shadow Pokémon long and he could still remember the kindness in a trainer's touch.

"Hello Makuhita, my name's Rui, and this is Wes. We're going to help you, okay?" The fighting type nodded slightly, small hand clutching the hem of Wes' coat like a lost child, watching the 'Rui' creature with a smile. These people were not like those before, they were kind and nice. Espeon and Umbreon sat to the side of Wes, no longer opponents but allies.

_Friends._

* * *

It wasn't the messenger's fault that he was trembling, eyes rooted to the floor to try and take his mind of exactly which office he was in. His hands were clasped behind him, nails digging into his palms in hopes that the pain would keep him with his senses.

"Two messages for you, Master." Relieved that his voice didn't quail, he risked a glance up, catching the dead stare of the woman sitting on the desk as he looked to the tall figure standing at the window. Red eyes were reflected in the tinted glass all too clearly, burning him like hot coals, the messenger boy hastily looking down again.

"Go on." The voice was as smooth as silk, yet there was a tone as dark and deadly as poison beneath it. He was not a man to be crossed; rumours flew about the workplace, some ridiculous and fantastical whereas others were worryingly plausible.

No mere human had eyes like hellfire and could chill the blood of the bravest men with his presence alone. Fierce Pokémon became tame under his gaze, willing to submit what they could easily kill (could they?).

The messenger swallowed nervously and dug his nails deeper into his skin. Part of him was glad he'd remembered to cut them.

"The Realgam Colosseum is nearing completion, within a fortnight it will be ready for business. Also, Master Miror B. would like to inform you that he has made amends for losing the girl with the Sight and expects her to be back with him soon together with a gift he thinks Master Gonzap will greatly appreciate." A low chuckle as the man walked silently to the desk, finger tracing the woman's cheek as she stared blankly ahead, his movements full of feline grace.

The woman was no more than a living doll with flesh and bone, brain and heart but no mind, no soul. She was version four if he counted right. Or rather, if he counted the ones that had taken their first breath and not choked up blood on it.

There was fondness in his eyes but no love.

The one he loved was long gone and this creature was nothing but a poor imitation. She smelt vaguely the same, she looked almost exactly the same to the point where it took someone who knew the original to tell, but it _wasn't_ the same he thought sadly.

"A fool like him could never even catch a lame insect if he were a Kecleon." He muttered then looked up at the messenger, silvery hair catching the feeble light that managed to slither into the cold office, strangled by the darkness the man preferred. "Send my orders to the Nightfall leader – stop playing with their food and capture those children, or there will not _be_ a next time. One doesn't achieve one's goals without destroying any and all threats that befall them, regardless of ethics about a threat being _mere children_." The messenger bowed respectfully, waiting for permission to scoot out of here as fast as he could without making it obvious. "...you may go." The messenger walked stiffly to the door and quickly exited. The man's attention returned to the doll.

The sooner this shadow Pokémon affair was over and done with, the sooner she could return properly. He knew exploiting the powers of the phoenix would be wrong, but he _needed_ her back. This doll served only as an attractive paperweight; he felt no lust or love for it. Its presence didn't make the room warm and the lights brighten, it couldn't hold him close and ramble on about anything that sprang into its pretty little head. It was a shell, but with Ho-oh's power _she_ could come back and there'd be no need for the shells that kept dying and took so long to make.

And yet...she had always loved Pokémon so much and seen of anyone who hurt them as lowest of the low. Would she even _want_ to come back if she knew how exactly it was being done?

* * *

The crowds still buzzed angrily around the exits, demanding to know why they couldn't pass and a brave few still challenging battles. Wes and Rui, being closest to the Mayor's house, slipped into the crowd, Espeon and Umbreon weaving their way to the front through a forest of legs. The teens followed them by the occasional 'eek!' as smooth fur brushed bare skin.

"Look lady, I have my orders, and I ain't budging until I _fulfil_ those orders, y'hear?" The elderly woman closest to the green clad youth raised her cane in anger.

"Oh, and what be these orders of yours?"  
"I'm looking for two kids, maybe you've seen them?-" _Clink_. A small rock bounced off the side of his helmet and fell to the ground. The peon stared blankly at it for a second until another followed suit. He looked up to see a grinning Umbreon with aviator goggles on his head next to an Espeon fixing him with a cold stare. A stone encased in a purpley haze hovered next to it. Flicking his gaze upwards, he found the two kids he'd been ordered to capture standing foolishly before him. 'Stupid brats.' He sneered, reaching for two Pokéballs. "Well, well, looks like I got the lucky spot, hmm?" Sensing the battle, the crowd drew back, Rui staying by Espeon as his brother stretched and stood in front of Wes. Makuhita burst out in a flash of light, ready to prove himself. "You're gonna regret this later, kid!" The honey eyed boy merely smirked.

"We'll see." Two bursts of light took form on the stone pavement, the dimming sunlight making them seem all the brighter.

Umbreon's wet black nose twitched.

As the light faded, a repulsive stench made everyone reel back in nausea, a Muk and Grumpig (with a neckerchief over its nose) facing Makuhita and Umbreon. The sludgy Pokémon stained the ground with dark purple damp, dust and little stones sticking to it. The ex-snagger glanced back at Rui, praying the Muk didn't need to be captured. Though the girl flinched slightly at Makuhita's aura and covered her mouth and nose with both fluffy pink sleeves, she shook her head to indicate that neither needed snagging. Wes wasn't looking forward to snagging a shadow Pokémon in front of a crowd; the green-clad man may be the bad guy, but the news reporters hadn't been careful with what they'd been telling everyone. It would only take one wrong accusation to enforce mob rule.

"Muk, rage! Grumpig, take out Makuhita!" Muk focused its anger, closing its eyes. Makuhita stayed close to Umbreon as Grumpig's black pearls gleamed.

"Don't let Grumpig attack Makuhita, Umbreon!"

"Bre!" Umbreon darted out towards the pig which rocked back on its tail and sprang up into the air. Muk lunged forwards at the dark type, almost catching it if it hadn't been standing in a dark shadow, melting into the black. Umbreon jumped up out of Makuhita's wide shadow and slammed into the psychic in mid-air, sending them tumbling in a flurry of growling, biting and scratching across the ground.

"Makuhita, Muks distracted!" The yellow Pokémon ran with unexpected speed at the sludgy creature, his aura suddenly visible. It was a dark mist with purple highlights coating his body, spheres of energy dissipating as they left his skin. The crowd gasped as they drew back and Wes knew they were probably giving him funny looks.

Muk cried out as Makuhita's fist buried into her side, rounding on the fighting type and batting him away with a large hand. Fighting attacks were weak against poison Pokémon, but that one attack had knocked the wind out of the female, enraging her further. Makuhita's thick fat managed to keep him from being poisoned, and the aura had vanished as the attack struck making the teen wonder if it was some sort of attack only shadow Pokémon knew. "Good hit, attack again!" Makuhita dodged the globs of slime flung at him by his foe, jumping back again out of the way as Grumpig and Umbreon rolled past, still locked in combat. Umbreon may have had the type advantage, but Grumpig's defences were high and could hold the black and yellow Pokémon's jaws from biting down. Muk lashed out, bringing a hand crashing down as Makuhita jumped, charging another mysterious attack and knocking her out cold.

"Muk return!" The peon snapped, searching for another Pokéball on his belt and then throwing it. The smell lingered even after Muk had departed. A Bayleef burst out into the evening, eyes set in a cold stare.

"Wes! It's a shadow Pokémon! Be careful!" Rui warned.

"Let's see just how strong you are. My Bayleef's far better trained than that Makuhita and you'll be glad to know he's got a mean streak a mile wide!_ Attack_!" The four foot Pokémon charged at Makuhita in blind fury, vines whipping out to grab his ankle and throw him into the side of a building as the tackle missed. Makuhita was not as slow as the grass type obviously thought. Flipping in the air, he used the momentum to his own advantage, landing with his feet braced against the wall and launching off in a dark haze. The punch missed but fractured the sidewalk, the sand underneath flying up as the large shards of cement pierced it. Makuhita caught both vines in each fist as they surged out of the blinding sand hanging in the air. Taking a step backwards, the Pokémon dragged the pale yellow creature onto his chest with brute strength, the vines connecting at the neck and front legs not strong enough to resist, spinning him in a full circle before releasing both fist-sized vine ends. Forty-two pounds of flesh and bone skittered over the pavement, grazing and splitting the skin which misted over to rapidly heal until he managed to stop himself, rising with vehement rage boiling to the surface.

Rui gasped painfully, sinking to her knees beside Espeon. Her head throbbed painfully like the worst migraine ever; Espeon nuzzled her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, both hyped up shadow Pokémon giving fierce cries and throwing their full power against the other. Umbreon had finally defeated Grumpig with a couple of gashes to show for it but didn't dare join in the battle raging before him without command. Grumpig disappeared in a flash of red.

He looked to Wes and wagged his tail to signal that he awaited order. Wes wouldn't put him in danger; he was only letting Makuhita fight because he knew the fighting type could handle it. If the gutsy Pokémon got in trouble he wouldn't hesitate to return him.

"Umbreon, distract Bayleef!" The dark brother had enough speed left in him for the task and was grateful that Wes hadn't thought that a mere Grumpig had tired him. Nipping the Bayleef's heels to centre the attention on him, he leapt back with a playful grin, paws wide and head low. He dodged a vine easily and two sharp leaves which imbedded into a tree, the yellow dinosaur like creature turning fully to swat the annoying Umbreon. Makuhita seized the chance and slammed a fist into Bayleef's spine, bringing it down with an almighty, sickening crunch. Umbreon whooped and spun, grinning at his partner. A fleshy thud was his only reply.

Makuhita was still attacking the fallen grass Pokémon, regardless of its comatose state. The peon stood in shock, not even moving to stop the Makuhita _killing_ his Bayleef.

"Makuhita, stop!" Wes grabbed the Pokémon's wrist as it drew back for another strike. Crouching to be level with him, he caught the other wrist as Makuhita turned to attack him, staring into the anger clouded eyes. "_No_. Makuhita, _stop_." The fighting type blinked, fear replacing the anger. Wes breathed an inward sigh of relief. "Thank you." Makuhita blinked again, abruptly clinging to the teen and babbling apology through sniffles. Umbreon trotted over, leaning against Wes as he scratched behind the Pokémon's ear affectionately. Rising to his feet again, the blue and black clad boy looked down at the beaten and battered Bayleef.

Well, at least it hadn't attacked him. Yet.

Charging a Pokéball, he returned Bayleef to it, feeling the snag machine's coils tense and relax as it made the snag final. It was comforting and familiar, yet he doubted anyone ever became completely accustomed to it.

"H-HEY!" The peon found his voice and discovered how to move again all at once. "You can't just steal my Pokémon, no matter who you are!"

"What are you doing to these Pokémon to make them like this?" Rui snapped, angered that he could even pretend to care for anything but himself. She wished they could have saved the other two Pokémon as well. The green clad man gave a short harsh laugh, folding his arms across his chest. If the Bayleef had been beaten by Makuhita, it was weak and the boss didn't have any need for weakness.

"The only thing that stops a Pokémon from going full out in battle is their kindness, their hearts. It's a weakness easily solved by closing the door-"

"You close the door to their _hearts_? How could you! No Pokémon should ever be made to live without feeling! They're our friends, not our tools!" The crowd gave cheers of agreement, closing in around the man who blanched. "You're not fit to call yourself a Pokémon trainer if you don't respect your partners!" Wes had to admit he was impressed by the girl's outburst. The PRAA (Pokémon Rights Activist Association) would be eager to recruit her.

The man seemed to think it unwise to stay any longer and with a final glare at Wes ran out of Phenac. After bombarding the two teens with praise and pats on the back, the crowd dispersed - no doubt to spread gossip. Such was the nature of townsfolk. A fourteen year old with an Ekans curled around his shoulders wondered over to them, Makuhita grasping Wes' hand.

"Hey, um...I saw a really violent Pokémon yesterday. I was in Pyrite, and this Blaziken suddenly went crazy and attacked a load of people. Someone tried to subdue it, but it fell down into The Under. I'm pretty sure it was female, I only got a glimpse because I was coming out of the colosseum – they have a machine to heal Pokémon there. Anyway, if you're looking for these violent Pokémon, I thought you ought to know."  
"Thanks for telling us." Rui smiled at the child who blushed and scuttled away quickly. She heard Wes chuckle as he passed her.

"Seems like someone has a fan club."

"You're just jealous." She replied with a playful grin.

"Hardly. Being tailed by a load of snot-nosed kids doesn't spell fun for me."

"They're not-" Rui was rudely interrupted by her stomach giving a loud growl; she'd hardly eaten all day.

"...We better find somewhere to eat, huh?" the redhead blushed and followed the older boy silently. It wouldn't matter if it was just a little growl saying 'I'm hungry', but noooo; it was a loud bellow of 'FEED ME!' "There's a restaurant and hotel at Lake Phenac. It would be better to stay there than wait for those guys to come back and find us. We can set out to Pyrite early in the morning."

"But that's where that...Miror B. guy is..." The murmur was to herself. She knew Wes wouldn't let her get kidnapped again, but that wasn't the point. The place was a bad memory.

They stopped off in the Poké Centre to heal up the bumps and scrapes and bring Bayleef back from the half-dead. The nurse had heard about the battle and wished them luck. The next destination was the parking lot, the owner snoozing in a rocking chair. Phenac became a lot quieter in the evenings as there were few clubs of any sort and the vicious cold of night descended quickly, places with water and thus humidity in the day suffered frost at night.

The sky was a bloody red and the heat was released from the ground as the air cooled. A slight breeze picked up as a result of the hot and cold air currents, Umbreon lifting his nose to it curiously. The Eeveelutions and the redhead bundled into the sidecar, Makuhita in his Pokéball, as Wes started the engine as quietly as possible. It was still a rib shaking roar that woke the lot owner with a sharp jerk, but 'Sheila I' was at least a _little_ quieter than usual.

Tony had laughed upon hearing her start up properly the first time (she'd spluttered and died due to a fault with water in the fuel filter before), remarking that the teen should fit a silencer on her. Wes had merely glared and held up the arc welder with a gleam in his eye.

A couple of thousand cc should _never _be silenced in Wes' opinion, it was blasphemy.

Tony had also suggested fairing, but given Sheila's shape, power and size he quickly discarded the idea. Her brute force alone could push her through air resistance.

Espeon and Umbreon curled close to the female human, sharing body heat as they roared out of the gates and the wind chill nipped at them.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm no expert on motorbikes, but I know I've used a few things in here which not everyone might know, and I, for one, like to know what on earth authors/authoresses are rambling on about.

So, translation:

'cc' – Cubic Centimeters (or Cubic Capacity) – Basically, how much air/fuel mixture is exhausted with every second stroke of the piston inside the cylinder. Or thereabouts. (Terrible at explaining things without waving arms around, sorry.)

"_Motorcycle engines range from 50 cc commonly found in many small scooters, to 2294 cc, the largest production engine, currently made by Triumph for its 'Rocket III' cruiser-style motorcycle" _– Wikipedia, 'Motorcycle'.

'fairing' – The fibreglass/plastic shell placed on many models to shield the rider from the wind (and improve aerodynamics as drag is the major factor that limits bike speed).

'arc welder' – (just encase) "_Arc welding refers to a group of __welding__ processes that use a __welding power supply__ to create an __electric arc__ between an electrode and the base material to melt the metals at the welding point. They can use either __direct__ (DC) or __alternating__ (AC) current, and consumable or non-consumable __electrodes__. The welding region is sometimes protected by some type of inert or semi-__inert gas__, known as a __shielding gas__, and/or filler material. The process of arc welding is widely used because of its low capital and running costs. This also makes it ideal for use in schools and in other public settings." – _Wikipedia, 'Arc Welding'.

Feedback much appreciated


	8. Sandstorm

. o b r u m b r a t a .

Author's Note: Just a warning, contains mention of rape and murder. The actual rape scene will _never _appear in the story, but the aftermath and gore is still there; Obrumbrata is a 'T', remember. I don't want to offend anyone, and I have, I hope, handled it delicately (though it is through a child's eyes, so it may be blunt). If you don't want to read it, just skip it, I won't pass judgement.

Thank you ever so for the reviews, I feel so loved:3 (No, seriously, you're the best and I love you all! –uber huggles-) It's very (!) late, but there's a little Halloween present in my gallery at DA. It seems ff dot net hates links, so you'll have to go through my bio-page-thingy. Sorry! n.n

We're getting closer to The Under. Rejoice those who have been waiting for some romance/innuendo/flirting/interesting situations/Pyro(the psycho Blaziken)/etc. I promise it'll be fun :3

Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo. I'm just...borrowing (yes, let's go with that) the characters and such to try and do the first Pokémon 3D RPG some justice.

* * *

Chapter 8 – Sandstorm

_The tall bald grunt released the collar of his black turtle neck jumper and closed the door with a cold clang, leaving the shaken child alone in a large room with various beaten up sofas and a worn old pool table. A TV set fuzzed and crackled in the corner, some dried blood stains flecking a threadbare rug telling of long past fist fights. _

_After the last week, he knew all too well what blood looked like. _

_Trying desperately to block out the screaming still ringing in his ears, he padded to a couch beside a wilting tree with large leaves, dark trainers barely making a sound. It didn't work; on and on the woman begged and pleaded for him to run away because she had known he was still hiding behind that dumpster barely a stone's throw from her and she prayed he would listen. But he hadn't run, he couldn't, his entire body refusing to budge._

_Hearing her screams turn to whimpers, her whimpers turn to a gurgling choke and finally terrible silence. Trembling violently and leaning heavily on the rusted metal, the child of barely eight summers had risen from his shelter, peering down the dim alley with fear constricting his heart. Thick red liquid snaked through the shallow grooves of the cobblestone, glinting at him in the dull light from a flickering lamp above. It reminded him of the ruby necklace his mother had worn a few times, except melted and tainted with a sinister gleam. _

_His eyes followed the trickle to its source. On the ground was a figure slumped on its side in a last desperate attempt to crawl away, arm stretched above their head but fingers limp. Her shoulder length hair she'd sat at a dresser and carefully brushed that very morning a bloody matted mess sticking to the smooth stones. She'd hummed his lullaby to him as she gently brushed his fluffy hair too._

"_...Mom?" He called weakly, voice crackly, taking a step towards the fleshy shape. He touched her rapidly cooling skin as his fingers brushed her shoulder. The trails of her tears were still damp but her eyes were glossed as he turned her onto her back. Being a child, her mostly naked form didn't attract his gaze, only the wound through her neck which was the source of the blood and the savage bruises raising the skin at which he shivered violently. "Mom, wake up..." His voice was hollow with the rising lump in his throat, the boy sweeping the sweat and gore slicked red hair away from her gently tanned face. _

_Green orbs stared blankly back at him. Even in death, she was beautiful._

_The wound across her neck was clean and deep. A single stroke had severed the head save for a few feeble sinews, the vertebrae and soft skin. They had got what they wanted and waited for him to be too broken to care._

_She was cold._

"_Please wake up!" He choked, tears stinging golden eyes. He tried to lift her but she was too heavy and her neck lolled and crunched sickeningly, making him hastily put her down. There were dark patches of blood on his sweater but the child didn't notice as he rubbed his tears away angrily with his sleeve. Blood didn't bother him. _

_It had bothered him - when he'd felt it flick across his face as his father was shot full of holes and slumped to the floor like a broken puppet, wife and son cowering on the chaise lounge under a week ago, screaming and crying in fear. But his body and mind were too numb to comprehend that the red wet stuff was actual life fluid draining away as the body shut down. His fists curled into the ripped fabric of her shirt. "Don't...don't leave me alone..." She couldn't hold him when he cried anymore. She couldn't stroke his hair with that motherly touch and coo softly to calm him. Father would never be able to give him that kindly smile and read him a bed time story or play in the leaves come autumn. There would be no more trips to the mountains in winter to build snowmen and admire the ice sculptures. In spring and in summer they couldn't have picnics and visit the beach to search in the rock pools for little creatures to look at._

_No more hugs, no more kisses, no more love. _

_In one week he'd lost everything dear to him. One week out of the eight years he'd been in this world and known nothing but happiness, he now knew nothing but misery. _

_He started suddenly as the door swung open and people started to file into the room in disarray. Anxious to disappear, the boy pushed himself back against the upholstery. He soon became the main attraction despite his efforts as a brutish looking man crouched in front of him. His shoulders were huge and the skin bulged with the muscles beneath, veins making ridges over the curves, but his face was kind, save for a scar under his left eye which distorted the skin and didn't allow the eye to fully close. He was bald and a tattoo of a pair of stylised eyes glared from the back of his skull. _

"_You're the new kid, hmm?" A low rumble served as a voice and the child nodded nervously as the man brought one huge hand down on his shoulder with a welcoming smile, a hand that could crush his head. "Name's Beron. Any one of these guys gives you hard time you report 'em to me, hear?" He winked, the boy noticing the others cower away as the giant gave his approval. Immediately the tense atmosphere dropped, most of the crowd dispersing. The door clanged open again, a stormy faced young woman shouting several _fantastic_ words the boy had never heard before at someone in the hallway. _

"_Ole' Salamence! How-" One of the men gathered around the pool table called. Growling, she moved her large silver shades to her brow._

"_Fuck you!" She snapped one of the fantastic words again, making a weird hand gesture at the man who laughed in response. _

"_Good!" She slumped down next to the sandy haired boy and downed half a bottle of mineral water. Leaning her elbow on the arm of the chair and propping up her chin with the heel of her hand, the green haired teen glared around the recreation room, breathing calming as the scowl became a frown and the frown fell completely. Feeling eyes on her, turquoise locked on to gold. The child stifled a squeak of surprise and turned his head forwards again. _

_Holy Ho-oh, the kid was so _young_. His feet dangled over the edge of the couch, no where near the floor. _

"_...Ain't seen you around, you new?" A small sharp nod in reply. "Hmm. What's your name?" His lips parted for a moment but she didn't catch any sound. "Huh?" She leaned closer and large honey coloured orbs stared up at her, searching for any shred of comfort to cling to. His eyes were hypnotising, full of sadness and confusion but still holding that slight gleam of innocence. _

_Ah. This was the kid who...yeah. _

_Her expression softened and she moved a little closer, letting her comforting 'womanly presence' do the rest. Women were the fairer sex after all. "I didn't catch that, could you repeat it?" _

"_Wesley Reuben Synclairr. With a 'y', double 'r'." 'Whoa, _way_ posh accent.' His mother had always added the sentence whenever she said Synclairr and Wesley had started picking it up too. She had explained that she did that because daddy's great-great-great-great-grandfather was pants at spelling and most people would spell it differently. Daddy had chuckled at that over his paper and told her that he loved her way of explaining things. She'd childishly stuck her tongue out at him. So he'd flicked a corn flake at her. Much to little Wesley's delight, a breakfast war had ensued, making them all need a bath or shower. Or both, if they felt inclined._

"_...I think I'll just call you 'Wes'. I'm Caroline, but you can call me Caz, sweetie." The only other person to call him 'sweetie' had been old Ms. Tailor who owned the sweetshop in the village they had lived in just outside of Western Port City; she called everyone that though, even daddy. He longed for a stick of vanilla liquorice. The stuff was addictive._

"_Where am I?" _

"_Don't matter. You been given sleeping quarters?" She swore he winced at her slightly terrible grammar._

"_No." She nodded, a far looser, longer movement then his. _

"_Bunk with me then. I have a bed spare and my own bathroom." She ruffled his hair and he gave a soft cry of 'gah!'. "Come on, you could probably do with some rest." She was right. He'd tried to rest in the truck during the long drive here, but fear had kept him awake. He shuffled of the couch and walked beside her, the top of his spiky hair reaching the bottom of her breastbone. A gloved hand rested on his small shoulder, guiding him up a flight of stairs and down a corridor to a plain looking door. "After you." The room was no where near as big as his old room, but comfortably contained two single beds, a dresser, a chair and a door at the far end. There was a circular window towards the end of one of the beds, adjustable heavy black slats across it to block out the light. "Lemme get some sheets." A large, plush Sableye doll sat on the dressed bed, three slightly smaller ones (an Eevee, a Meowth and a Raichu) around it. Caroline walked through the other door, revealing the small, clean bathroom and an airing cupboard. Pulling out the necessary things, she made the bed with military precision, then crossed to her own bed and brought the Sableye over. It looked even bigger next to the boy. The purple material was soft and the gems made with a metallic fabric that made a scrunchy sort of crackle noise when touched. "Now, this is Boogleroo." With a very serious expression, she held Boogleroo out to Wes. "And you can keep him on your bed if you want; I don't let just about anyone snuggle my Boogleroo though, so take good care of him." The child nodded, taking the large doll in both arms and placing him on the pillow which was suddenly hidden. "Okay, I'm going to run you a bath and pull out some clean towels." She considered him a moment. "Hmm, Mikey's clothes should do until we go shopping." She left him to sit on the bed and think as she drew the bath. Her kindness was welcomed after the seemingly endless hurt that had been thrown upon him. _

_He looked to Boogleroo._

_Maybe Caroli – _Caz_ – could teach him some of those terrific words she knew.

* * *

_

"...Shit."

'Sir?' Espeon questioned sleepily, Rui and Umbreon slumbering in the sidecar. 'Sheila I' rumbled, parked at the crest of a hill with the desert spanning before then, still cool from the night. The rising sun bounced off patches of ice like diamonds; Wes was glad he'd had time for coffee this morning and Rui had been too sleepy to bother glaring at him for smoking. He'd checked the injury from Makuhita briefly before going to sleep, but despite the girl's persistence, he hadn't shown Rui. It wasn't that bad – huge and mottle purple maybe, but he'd had worse. He used to do Desert Racing for Mew's sake, of course he'd had worse. The sun's rays warmed him and he instantly felt more awake. He wasn't a big fan of the cold.

Far before them the desert went on, a cruel and barren landscape with a few rocky formations clawing at the sky. 'What's the matter?'

'Sandstorm, dead ahead.' Wes pointed a gloved finger to what looked like a giant cloud of moving dust, swallowing the road whole and gliding across in a thick wave. Espeon berated himself for not noticing sooner, his species were especially sensitive to the air currents and he _was_ a morning Pokémon.

'We should be able to ride through it Sir, it doesn't look _too_ severe.' Wes pushed his shades to his brow and looked up at the sky, turning pink and orange. Something wasn't right.

'How long to Pyrite?'

'Approximately an hour and fifteen minutes, Sir. We have to stick to the road though, as the Wide Water River runs across our path.' The teen flexed his knuckles. Wide Water was the fiercest river in all of Orre. It came from Black Lake, named because of the ash that drifted downriver from Mount Battle, and built up speed as it tumbled down rocks and carved through the land and onwards south. Few Pokémon could even cross it, let alone swim or live in it.

"Are we there?" Rui asked sleepily, sitting up and rubbing sleep out of her eyes. She hadn't had time to properly fix her hair, opting to just leave it down and now it was tousled from the winds. Unable to help himself, the boy smirked at her; she looked so cute when she was still half asleep. 'Where did that come from?'

"Not yet. There's a sandstorm up ahead though, we were just wondering whether to risk going through."

'Says the one who didn't hesitate to zoom up a cliff face and then down the other side.' Umbreon grumbled, not even opening his eyes.

"Hmm...that was different. I don't suppose you could create a barrier to protect us from most of the sand, could you Espeon?" Wes knew Espeon was still a little tired and didn't want to ask more than he should. The psychic seemed content to comply however, so he settled his shades on his nose and gunned the engine.

It still didn't feel right, there was something wrong.

Espeon picked up on the teen's unease, looking up at him with large purple eyes. Wes murmured a sudden curse under his breath and swerved just before they entered the cloud, veering to the right and staying well out of its way.

'Sir? What are you doing?'

'Something's not right. I can't risk going through it.' The psychic understood immediately; sandstorms had always been an ideal place for an ambush and the riders from before still preyed on his mind. Both the Pokémon and their trainer knew what they were capable of. Caroline had been one.

'I understand.' Sure enough, Espeon felt the presence of several hidden in the swirling sands, feeling their anger as the hover bike roared past. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Wes knew the bikers would not be so passive again. Caroline had told him it was how they worked. They lulled the prey into a false sense of security and struck swifter than a Seviper at the right moment. They could not be angered into mistakes and they could not be bribed either. It was serve their master or become food for the sand beasts.

He'd seen a sand beast once.

Not many people had survived an encounter and if they had, they never dared to go outside the walls of their town again. He hadn't been attacked however, it had been whilst Caz was driving them to Pyrite and he'd been staring out of the window. A mere glimpse was all he caught of what he thought was a great serpent as it exploded from the sand to the side of the road and obliterated the car behind them. The creature was gone in seconds along with the other vehicle. Caz had denied the chance of it being a sand beast, not matter what Wes tried to tell her. She wasn't the superstitious type.

He could have believed it was just a land mine or an attempt on their lives by a rival gang if he hadn't seen its eyeless face.

The teen shivered slightly and sharply told himself to stop thinking about it whilst still in their territory. He had to watch out for the next rider ambush, should there be one and get them to Pyrite Town in one piece. He couldn't let himself get distracted.

* * *

Vision blurry, ears strangely blocked and limbs heavy and weak. She felt rage at her vulnerable state, forcing herself to sit up.

"G--d, ---'re awake. We were worried you weren't going to make it!" An elderly man with white fluff on his head and who leaned heavily on a carved cane shuffled to the futon she was lying on. He was draped in modest robes, traditional in design and there was a kindly smile on his wrinkled face. "You should have some tea. It will give you back your strength." Sitting on a floor cushion, the strange old man poured two cups of tea into cups and handed one to her. "When Nuko charged off towards the lake during the contest, I was very concerned. Nuko never goes in that lake and it was so unlike him to leave a contest. Of course, when he came out holding you...that is when I realised Nuko's kind heart was to blame." His smile broadened. The Blaziken stared down at the cup in her claws, cold blue eyes unseeing as she tried to remember what had happened before she woke up in this wooden house with paper screens that smelt faintly of jasmine incense.

The giant dark shape, skin shining blue and bright amber eyes swimming down to her...

"Nuko, she's awake!" The old man called, setting the empty cup on the tray and rising to his feet with a tired groan. There was a pause until a Swampert peered round the doorway. Blue skin and bright amber eyes. "I'll leave you two to talk." For a Swampert, Nuko was a giant. Instead of the usual four foot eleven, he stood even taller than her she estimated if she were standing beside him. That would make him...over six foot, one of the largest records of a Swampert. Even though she had full confidence in her ability to crush water types, she wouldn't want to fight him in her current state she concluded, noting the strong muscles on his long arms, short legs and torso.

Was that what the contest the old man had mentioned about? A test of strength?

"I wouldn't drink that if I were you," he rumbled, motioning to the cup still clutched in her claws. "Lau thinks elderflower tea tastes nice. He's the only one I know who does." She held onto it nonetheless, feeling its warmth. "So, that was quite fall you took. I suppose your trainer will be looking for you soon?" For a long while she was silent, eyes set in their permanent glare.

"I don't have a trainer."

"Oh. It's kinda rare to find a wild Blaziken, so I assumed-"

"You assumed wrong." Nuko looked a little taken back. Fire types tended to be hot tempered (quite fittingly) but weren't always necessarily rude. Especially considering he'd saved her life.

"You're still tired, I'll come back later."

'I won't be _here_ later.' Waiting until she could no longer here the Swamperts soft footsteps, the Blaziken threw off the bed covers and located the nearest exit with ease.

However, she decided upon finding herself in a bustling, crowded labyrinth of wooden houses with paper screens and ornate carving, that was only half the problem. Paper lanterns hung in long strings under the roof eaves casting a dim glow on the faces of the humans hurrying around. 'Vermin.' She thought with her fists clenched. She easily carved a path through the smaller humans, heading towards an open area where a giant stone Magikarp spouted water into a pool below it. There was no grass, only cherry blossom trees and certain shrubs. Lilies and petals floated in the little stream and the benches were made of that same dark wood she been seeing everywhere.

It was oddly calming; a human with a conical straw hat played a strange instrument, sitting on a cushion beneath the largest cherry blossom tree. It looked a little like a 'gee-tar', or whatever it was called, except the proportions were off and the person held a very weird looking plucking device. The sound was far different too. "You're not trying very hard, are you?" Cold blue glared into amber as she turned to see the Swampert frowning at her, strong arms crossed across his chest. "Come on, you shouldn't be walking around in your condition."

"I'm fine."

"You're not. You need rest-"

"I _need_ _you_ to leave me be!" She snapped and set off at a sprint through the bustling streets again. She could outrun him easily, she knew she could. So when he jumped out of the river and onto the bridge in front of her she was more than mildly surprised. Darting down a tiny alley, she crouched and then leapt high into the air, landing on the roof. A quick glance around and she began to run from rooftop to rooftop, pouncing from one to the other, staying as high as possible.

A tall pagoda stood lit up just past some more expensive looking houses that were not huddled together. A ball of water smacked her in the side and she lost her balance, slipping on the wet tiles and sliding down the roof with a squawk. The roof ended and the ground was visible two storeys below as she dug her claws into the guttering. Jumping to another roof with the momentum, she glared at the ground, in search of her attacker. Another sphere of water hit her directly in the face and she fell back on her bum. Hissing dangerously and feeling her feathers fluff out with the heat; she spotted Nuko smiling up at her.

Her vision took on a dark red haze and her mind clouded in fog. She was going to _kill_ him.

She landed in front of him with a thud, wrists ablaze as she charged. He dodged easily, all her hits missing him. He moved fast for such a bulky Pokémon. With a scream of fury, her attacks became erratic, no longer caring that she was leaving herself wide open for counter attack, only wanting to wound him. Nuko stayed calm, catching one small fist and then the other and twisting them behind her back. The Blaziken tried to kick him, but he was no fool, he knew how strong Blaziken's legs were. Sitting heavily on the ground with the fire bird wriggling furiously in his grip, the Swampert patiently waited until she stopped trying to tear holes in him and settled into contemptuous silence. He still held her hands with ease, the lither creature sitting at a funny angle in his lap that prevented her from kicking and head butting him.

But she could still bite.

A blazing pain filled his neck, flesh searing as fire erupted from her throat into the wound. He gave a roar of anger and threw her backwards, almost ripping a chunk of his neck out in the process. She jumped to her feet and spat out blood as the Swampert fixed his gaze on her, fury in his eyes. The wound wasn't bleeding as much as it would if it were only a bite as the heat had seared most of it closed, leaving an ugly bubbling on the smooth blue skin and trickles of blood flowing over his collarbone. Dropping to all fours, Nuko glared at her. If she wanted a fight, she'd get a fight.

His grip was freezing as it closed on her wrist, her punch missing and resulting in her being thrown like a rag doll into an old wooden cart piled high with boxes. Her rage set them on fire, kicking them at him and then charging again. She jumped up to attack, but a blast of water hit her in the chest like a battering ram, knocking the wind out of her lungs, only just managing to right herself before landing squarely on her feet.

A hand suddenly clamped round her neck and lifted her into the air. Acting instinctively, she clawed at the limb, scraping the hard yellow oval on his arm with her left foot.

"Are you going to come quietly or do we have to continue this pointless battle?" She hissed and wriggled, showing no sign of giving up. "Then you give me no choice." Effortlessly, he sent her reeling into the side of a building, dust exploding from the impact and filling the air. She made a failed attempt to get up and collapsed unconscious. Soundlessly, Nuko lifted her from the debris and carried her back to his home. Lau would probably chew him out over fighting with her in her state, but she _had_ bitten him. _Bitten!_ It might even scar he thought idly, taking the quieter route to avoid any stares.

Why was he helping her?

Why did he care for this crazy fire bird that just wanted to escape?

Lau always said he had a soft heart, and this bird didn't seem to have any heart. She was just anger and hate manifested. She was pretty though...for a Blaziken. 'Yeah, for a big fiery chicken...' Not like he found her attractive himself or anything of course because it was a common fact that Blazikens and Swamperts couldn't breed.

Apparently.

And she was a fire type. And fire and water types just...didn't go there.

Lau stared blankly at him for a good few minutes when he arrived home, mouth slightly agape as the Pokémon moved past.

"She needs some more rest." He offered meekly.

* * *

And yes, I have a Sableye named Boogleroo (who has been even transferred to Colosseum). And I love him. For he grins psychotically and he is my Boogleroo. And he has shiny things for eyes – _for eyes! _I need to get a cuddly Sableye...a huge one.

Feedback equals Heartness!


	9. Fool's Gold

. o b r u m b r a t a .

A/N: Sorreeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! x-x many bad things happened like a 'real-life' sucker punch in the face. Instant K.O., seriously.

I'll (try to) never leave it this long again! I really will! (really!)

-Uber hugs for reviewers; you make me want to keep writing when I'm having time o' crapola. Love yoooous!-

Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo. I'm just...borrowing (yes, let's go with that) the characters and such to try and do the first Pokémon 3D RPG some justice.

* * *

Chapter 9 – Fool's Gold

Pyrite was a stark contrast to Phenac. It was dusty and dirty and a cloud of smog billowed from chimneys of huge factories, hanging over the industrial section like a permanent thundercloud. Ramshackle houses clustered together like scavengers around carrion, patched up none too neatly and with dark foreboding alleyways running between them, stinking of the dumpsters from cafés and bars. The townsfolk all had a tired yet wary look to them, guarding their purses – and their backs - well.

This was the town of poverty and thieves, young girls on street corners and bloody fist fights in the streets.

This was where his mother died.

Wes hardened his gaze and continued to walk, Rui sticking close with the brothers at their heels as always. Snippets of conversation drifted to their ears.

"-like a machine-"

"-the colosseum is giving them away-"

"-Awww, c'mon Mr. Johnson, you know I wouldn't lie to a _brave_ upholder of the law like yourself."

"Even so Cail, people talk and I've heard you won-"

Rui glanced at the police officer and the green haired youth who caught her gaze and smirked.

"Where did you see Makuhita, Rui?" The girl jumped slightly at the teen's sudden question. She could sense he wasn't in the best of moods and she knew better already than to inquire why.

"Um, just past the mart and this motel. Are we going to be staying overnight in Pyrite?" Wes immediately shook his head.

"No. There's a bed and breakfast a little way south of town. We'll stay there." The redhead breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't like it here in the day, let alone at night when who knows what would be roaming the streets. An old woman sat in front of a little shop with a porch, smoking a pipe and watching the world with wizened white eyes.

"Ahh, _you_ certainly took your time..." Espeons ears perked up and he stopped, staring at the old woman with white hair braided and plaited masterfully, wrapped in faded colours with large ornate earrings, several rings and necklaces and a nose stud of a star. He cocked his head to the side, loping after his brother at the call of 'Umbree?'

The old woman smiled.

Long evening shadows cast a lot of the grubby little town into a dim gloom. The shadows in the alleys began taking shapes of lurking ne'er-do-wells and all manner of villains. The redhead stayed close to Wes, his presence alone making her feel safer.

She wondered if he still had the gun. He had woken before her again and had been sitting in the living room fully dressed by the time she was awake and she hadn't thought to ask.

Umbreon sensed her unease and brushed against her leg, sleek fur cool against her skin. They rounded a corner past the Pokémart and a short row of closed shops and found themselves in a town centre of sorts with battles waging under the flickering street lights.

"Wes...this is where I first saw Makuhita. Those creeps kidnapped me when I tried to run...can we leave soon, please?"

"Don't worry. Pyrite has never been my favourite town either." Both Pokémon glanced up at their master but he didn't return the look. He didn't want to remember, biting the inside of his lip for his mind to concentrate on the pain to make blood matted dark red hair fade from sight.

A chocolate haired girl with a bandana detached herself from a group watching a battle nearby, purple eyes fixated on the sandy haired seventeen-year-old. Her black shorts were certainly short and her red top was low cut, flaunting dangerous amounts of tanned flesh.

"Well, hey there," The girl circled Wes swiftly, completely ignoring Rui, "you're a real hottie. How about losing that wallflower and being _my_ sweetie? " Wes opened his mouth with a frown to reply but Rui had become a seething Salamence and jumped in before he could utter a syllable.

"Hold on a second! What makes you think I'm a wallflower?"

"Ahahaha, getting all serious little girl? Aw, bless. You better run home though, only grown-ups are allowed outside after bedtime." Rui scowled, hands on her hips and the ex-snagger had a sinking feeling there was an impeding girl-fight. These things can be sensed after you've seen enough of them.

"I thought old ladies needed their afternoon nap? You could use the beauty sleep." The girl fumed. Wes wondered if he should stop their imminent brawl or lead passers-by to safety. The last girl-fight he'd witnessed had been more like a two woman war, involved Caz and some other woman he'd never met and about a hundred dollars worth of damage. Skaar, a tall, bull of a man, had to stop them tearing each other apart while Caz's boyfriend laughed and tried to calm the green haired woman down. Unable to stop laughing, he had earned a slap and then a fierce kiss. And had to pay for the damages.

"You want a fight little girl? I'll show you why you're out of your league here." The girl pulled two Pokéballs out of a hip pouch. Rather than concede defeat, Rui spun on her heel to face Wes with her best puppy eyes.

"Wes, can I borrow Espeon and Umbreon, _pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease_?"

"Uh-"

"Thank you!" A swift hug and she turned back to the girl who'd taken a few steps back and released a Gulpin and a Golbat. Espeon and Umbreon glanced up at him and he merely shrugged in reply. It was an easy fight; type advantage, better trained, perfect team-work...the girl didn't stand a chance even if Rui might not know how to battle. And she very possibly might not.

"Golbat get up high, Gulpin give us cover – smog!" Rui gave a slight 'ugh!' as the thick smoke engulfed the combatants, heavy and stinking.

"Umbreon, faint attack on Gulpin! Espeon, follow up with psybeam!" The black Pokémon's glowing rings were easily followed by the psychic, chasing his brother towards the target only the black one could see. The Gulpin didn't seem too fazed by Umbreon until the second attack connected and it tumbled back.

"Now Golbat!" Espeon's ears twitched and he leapt sideways as the large poison type's jaws snapped the air where he'd been a mere moment before. Umbreon leapt on her, teeth sinking into the wing and preventing her from flying up again. She snapped angrily at him, trying to shake him loose or bite him. Espeon searched for Gulpin, dark eyes struggling to see in the gloom. He heard footsteps and saw Rui's outline appear behind him, the girl jumping back out of the way as Golbat's wing beat at the air.

"Oh! Look out!" A glob of thick goo splattered on an invisible screen just in time, Espeon running into the smog as another lump of sludge landed at his heels. The redhead moved away from it, looking for Umbreon.

"Umbree!" Came a sudden growl somewhere to her right. More scuffling and a yelp.

"Umbreon!" _Thwack! _Reeling back from the impact and shaking her head, she found herself staring back at the girl, looking confused.

"Ugh, watch it."

"You're the one who ordered smog."

"Didn't think it'd be this thick..." The girl shifted between her feet. Then looked up and smirked, holding out her hand. "Anyway, I think you're holding your own pretty good for a little girl. I'm Emok." The blue eyed girl took the outstretched hand.

"Rui," Emok nodded, looking into the fog.

"Guys! That's a wrap, come back!"

"Umbreon, Espeon?" The two girls stood for a long while, waiting for a reply. Faintly, they could hear commotion, but knew it was just the rest of the square battling. Rui hoped they weren't going to wonder into someone's line of fire. "Where are they?"

"I don't know, they gotta be able to hear us...Golbat! Blow the smog cloud away!" Still, nothing happened, not even the faintest breeze. "C'mon, we gotta get out of here, something's wrong." Following Emok closely, Rui eventually found herself able to breathe better, the smog clearing for them to find themselves on the other side of the square, looking back to find the commotion was not battles. A young woman in what must have somehow, somewhere been the 'in' thing stood amongst a troupe of girls in the same sort of suits as the men that had been accompanying Miror B., these in a baby pink to match the leader.

"Simply _faaaaabulous_! All these strong Pokémon all worn out from battling each other, all ours for the taking!" Here, she cackled and Emok set her hands on her hips.

"Who does this crazy bitch think she is? Like hell she can- hey, are you okay?" Rui closed her eyes tight, pressing her palms into them. Something was giving her a headache not unlike the shadow Pokémon did, a slow, thrumming pain behind her eyes.

"Yeah...but we should be careful, I don't like this." She couldn't see Wes anywhere, the trainers giving the troupe a sceptical look. Espeon and Umbreon were the other end of the smog cloud and Golbat and Gulpin were with them, a Venusaur looming above. "There they are!"

"You all look so unsure! Let me clear up those doubts of yours!" Taking a small device from the inside of her...clothing, the woman pushed in a button on the pill shaped thing. Rui's headache flared angrily and she slumped to her knees, feeling sick.

"What the hell?" A select group of the trainers' Pokémon suddenly looked agitated and ready to leap at the first thing near them.

"It's...it's making the shadow Pokémon–ugh...turn against their trainers." It was true, shadow Pokémon were rounding on their owners, growling and hissing and snarling. The other Pokémon were growling back, warning them to stop. Eight dittos were released, one turning into a Charizard, another into Blaziken, a Feraligatr, Blastoise, Sceptile, Typhlosion, Swampert and a Meganium. The Venusaur moved back to join the others. The woman was grinning broadly.

"_Attack!_"

"Shadow Pokémon, I've heard about them – rumours," Emok said quickly, crouching by Rui. A blast of fire soared over head. "They're real strong, people are giving them away at the Colosseum if you win – or that's what's going round."

"We've got to stop them...they'll kill someone-"

"They attack their trainers, I saw a Blaziken flip out a couple of days ago. Anyways," Emok pulled Rui to her feet and ran for cover as someone's Vigoroth threw the Ditto-Typhlosion across the battle square and a blast of fire seared the ground. "How do we stop it?" Rui fought back the nausea building in her stomach.

"Get that device...it's what's making the shadow Pokémon go mad." Emok nodded, standing and calling her Golbat and Gulpin. _No one_ messed with the trainers of Pyrite and got away unharmed.

* * *

"_It's beautiful, isn't it?" Stifling a 'ulp!' of surprise, the green haired woman stood up straight from leaning on the ornate balcony and looked back to the doors leading into the ballroom. A young man with long silver hair and entrancing red eyes walked silently to her side like some sort of phantom. Caroline stared blankly at him for a few moments before he nodded in the direction of the moon and she realised what he meant._

"_Oh! Yeah-_yes_. Yes, it is." He stood beside her without another word for a while, admiring the stars as the tanned woman studied him from the corner of her eye. No doubts, it was him. Pale skin, devil's eyes, silver hair, probably has a solid-gold bathroom suite – damn handsome too. 'Ugh, do _not_ need that.' "Well...if you'll excuse me..." Turning on her heel and somehow managing _not_ to wobble and fall over – 'bloody high-heels' mumble-grumble-complain – she walked back towards the golden glow of the hall when his dark voice caught her again. _

"_I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you previously. Perhaps I know you father?" 'Oh-no-oh-no-oh-no! Shush! Don't start talking to me, geez!' _

"_Uh-no, I'm here with – a friend! Yes, she invited me to come with her. In case she got lonely." A silver brow raised in question, smirk still playing on his lips. Caroline was really rather _pants_ at acting._

"_Really? Who would this friend be?" A moment's pause as she tried to think of the next line that would dig her out of this mess and allow her to retreat and weigh her options._

"_Oh, you wouldn't know her. She...is here with her fiancé." 'ooh, I'm good.'_

"_I take pride in knowing all my guests personally. I'm sure I will have heard of her, try me." Caroline was mentally screaming in anger. 'Bugger off already!' She forced a smile and a hiccough of a laugh._

"_Nah-" 'crap!' "-no. No, I don't want to...distract you from..." She waved a hand in the direction of the sky as she started retreating to the safety of the opulent hall, a live small orchestra and graceful figures swirling over the marble floor with practiced steps and plenty of people to hide behind. "...sky watching...or anything."_

"_You wouldn't be." He knew she was trying to get away and the evil –_evil_- bastard was following her. His black slacks and waistcoat were catching the golden glow now, and she could feel the warmth at her bare back, knowing she was oh-so close to escape. One swift motion and her arm was looped through his, white shirt soft to the touch and immediately she was being led into the hall. "Come, I want to know who brought such a beguiling lady to my humble abode." 'Nehh, posh git.'_

"_I'd hardly call it humble." Oh no...what if she had to dance? As he approached the dancing couples she slammed the breaks on and nearly fell over as a result. 'Bloody hell!'_

"_What's wrong?"_

"_Er...allergic! To...to seafood! Really ill - gotta run - bathroom - in need of. Now." She started trotting away and he called to her again._

"_Bathrooms are the other way."_

"_Right. Yep, 'kay, thanks." She muttered, scooting double-quick past him. Red eyes watched her walk right past the bathrooms and outside into the hall. It appeared that Evice was finding his little 'game' highly amusing to invite someone obviously so unaccustomed to anything but point-and-shoot tactics to play. _

_He smirked, at least she was attractive.

* * *

_

Wes stretched lazily as he wandered through town. Espeon and Umbreon were more than capable of handling things and he didn't plan to be gone long. Bayleef padded beside him and Makuhita sat on his back, eating a cake of some sort. Despite Bayleef's seemingly psychotic behaviour in battle, they were otherwise friendly, Wes suspecting neither had been a shadow Pokémon long enough to become completely dark hearted. The grass type was not as childlike as the fighter, but they were both in desperate need of affection and reassurance. Turning a corner to start walking back to the battle square, the teen nearly dropped the large shopping bag his was carrying as something collided with his chest. Blinking down, he found a white haired old woman staring back at him.

"Good evening. I don't suppose a strong young boy like you would help a little old lady carry her things back home?" Her eyes were white and she was dressed in faded shawls with numerous jewellery items about her person. She looked very sweet and harmless and the bags did look heavy...Bayleef's vines curled around the shopping in his arms. It was better she asked him and not some random thug who was likely to mug her.

"Okay, I guess. Where'd you live?" He asked, the bags proving to be as heavy as they looked and he wondered what on earth they contained.

"Not far." The old woman toddled along with the teen and two Pokémon in tow, many of the townsfolk waving to her and she waved back, despite her white eyes. She entered a little shop with a wide porch on the front, a painted star symbol on the front door faded and peeling. The incense that seemed infused with her person wafted in waves from the shop, the old lady beckoning him along a small corridor into a heavily decorated room. Swathes of richly coloured cloth hung from the ceiling and across the walls, creating an immense fire hazard due to the amount of candles and incense sticks burning away.

A Medicham sat to the side of a main cushiony chair, with a low table and two cushions opposite. Cards depicting images of 'the sun', 'the moon' and 'the tower' lay on the mahogany surface amongst many others. A skull grinned and a crystal ball was cupped by the open cranium. All manner of old tattered books and strange objects and sculptures filled every shelf and surface there was, adding to the oddly mystical feel of the room. "Just put them there, if you please." She sank into the chair with a tired groan. "You know Wes," She began, lighting an ornate pipe and blowing smoke rings into the hazy air. Wes stared at her, wondering if he had met her before and that was how she knew. He didn't like to believe in _human_ mystics. "You look a lot like your father." She smiled and gestured to the cushion opposite. Warily, the teen sat, Bayleef and Makuhita doing the same. "Your grandfather, mother's side, had your eyes...But do you know who you _most_ remind me of, to the point I'd swear you were one and the same?" She leaned forward and the candles held their breath. "Leo."

* * *

A/N: Promise I'll be update more! Promise-promise-promise! 


	10. Jackpots and Sloppy Kisses

. o b r u m b r a t a .

Author's Note: I really need to play the game again; I'm getting cravings for it though I know it inside out! But with a great lump of good PS2 (blasphemy! x-x ) games out over the last few months and getting hold of a few rare ones I've wanted for ever-so-very-long, I think the PS2's _fused_ with my TV...And the Wii doesn't have many uber games yet... : this saddens me.

Butbutbut! Pokémon Battle Revolution! I really need to get Diamond or Pearl (Diamond has Dialga, right? And Dialga's the blue one? That ever so vaguely reminds me of Suicune? I just don't know anymore...)

Hearts and huggles and Boogleroo plushies to all of you!! You're the ones who inspire me to keep going with this, and here we finally are in double figures.

Let's hope there's more to come:D

Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo. I'm just...borrowing (yes, let's go with that) the characters and such to try and do the first Pokémon 3D RPG some justice.

* * *

Chapter 10 – Jackpots and Sloppy Kisses

_Caroline fidgeted in her seat, not sure where to look to avoid thinking and not sure if sitting on her hands to stop fumbling with the keys was working. She _actually_ couldn't do it. She could threaten to, and heaven knows, he irked her in all the wrong ways sometimes, but she couldn't actually..._

_Kill him. _

_The passenger door of the old muscle car opened with a groan and out of the pouring rain a man slipped into the dry. It wasn't warm, but at least it wasn't wet. Silver hair was shining with its coat of water and she just _knew_ that white shirt was going to be clinging to him like a second skin. Damnit. She resolved to glaring at the blurred outline of a dismal looking sculpture in the middle of the fountain ahead of her. _

"_The house is heated, you know."_

"_Hnn." And grunt. Don't talk in fear of going all nervous and twitchy. Just grunt._

"_And little Wesley is fast asleep in the library with your Pokémon."_

"_Library?" 'Oh! Almost looked! Gotta be more careful...' She narrowed her eyes in concentration at the Magikarp statue._

"_I read him a story."_

"_Oh." She was mildly envious. The man had such a dark, entrancing voice, it was a pleasure to hear him talk, let alone be read to._

"_...Caroline...we need to discuss something..." 'No, get out of my car you wet, silly, gorgeous man.'_

"_Uh?" A long pause and she knew he was looking at her._

"_Caroline."_

"_What?"_

"_Look at me."_

"_...Why?"_

"_Because it's easier to talk to you and you're beginning to make the Magikarp smoke." Very slowly, very carefully, the green haired woman turned to look at him, staring at the bridge of his nose to avoid his eyes and stop looking anywhere else but still appear to be paying attention. He could tell she was avoiding eye contact, but rather than argue with her, he merely sighed. "The point is," He didn't pause or hesitate as he was not a man who was unsure of himself and he knew she wouldn't appreciate him tip-toeing round her, "I know you work for Gonzap. And I know Gonzap works for Evice. You were sent to the ball that evening to kill me and here we are almost a month later, in front of my very abode even, in which time you haven't so much as attempted to find any vulnerability." He tilted her chin to look him in the eyes, Caz batting the hand away almost immediately._

'_Oh. Oh shit.'_

"_I'm beginning to wonder if you have it in your heart to do so anymore." Her expression fell into a glare._

"_Don't flatter yourself, you arrogant prick. My _heart_ doesn't come into it; I'd gladly shoot you sometimes just to shut you up, I haven't bumped you off yet because I know Gonzap told you Evice wants you dead and I am _not_ Gonzap's lap dog." She snapped, glaring into blood red eyes without fear, though she knew he was quick enough, strong enough and skilled enough to snap her neck in an instant. People like Gonzap do not fear without good reason. She was admirable in her courage he thought, not matter how bold it may be._

_The man thought for a moment, the green haired woman huffing and sitting back in her chair with a 'whumph', glaring again at the Magikarp. She could nearly hear his mind working; it never stopped. _

"_Taking this advantageous moment, I'd like to extend an offer to you. I'd like you to work for me instead – no more of this 'death-dealer' business."_

"_...What would I be doing, cleaning your house? I'm not a maid." A chuckle._

"_No, it's not as simple as that. I need someone to keep an eye on Gonzap. Someone whom he believes he can trust but knows how to handle him...and someone I can trust, of course. I would ensure the benefits far outweighed any disadvantages." Caroline didn't answer, watching the raindrops race each other down the windscreen to hit the bottom and become one of many streams running off the bonnet. "I will give you time. Tomorrow afternoon, from three, I will be in my study. Consider it at least, Caroline. After enough time, blood ceases to wash away. I'm offering an escape." She blinked a few times and growled._

"_Get out." He nodded and left her alone in the rain. Her head fell back against the headrest and turquoise eyes closed._

_Damn silly, wet, gorgeous men with pretty hair and dark voices. Damn them all. _

* * *

"Leo?" He repeated as the old woman leaned back in her seat, white eyes seeing a world he couldn't. "Who's Leo?" She chuckled, puffing more smoke rings into the air. 

"How many Leos do you know Mr. Synclairr?" Only of one. Only of King Leo. But...Wes was fairly certain he hadn't resembled a Ho-oh upon waking up this morning. A grumpy and dishevelled teenager in need of coffee and nicotine, maybe. Legendary phoenix, not so much. "Leo is not a common name in these lands, Wesley. It is an ancient name from the most ancient languages. It means 'proud' and 'kingly'. 'Tis a name which is not given lightly to a mere human baby. But then, King Leo was not a human, was he? You know it, so tell me the story."

"Hold on, you're telling me I remind you of a Ho-oh?" A short laugh, heavy in the smoke.

"No! Of course not, don't be ridiculous. You lack feathers. And your father told you the story enough for you to know, all children are read this tale at least once...Leo had a human form. _That_ is who you bear an uncanny likeness to. Did you forget that he took a human mate? And that she bore his child? Intercourse between a huma-"

"I really don't need to hear where you're going with this." A pause, the woman drawing deeply on the pipe.

"Hmmm...I was just ensuring you had not forgotten their tale. The girl you were with earlier...she reminds me of someone too. Someone very close to Leo...'A pure maiden with skin smoother than finest silk and the hue of Luna's smile. A cascade of fire at her crown and eyes that left the skies with envy. Her beauty, radiant, her demeanour, that of perfection.'" She quoted to the teen, long fingernails, the nails of her smallest fingers so long she held them up and apart from the rest in habit, clacked against the pipe. "She will be a very beautiful woman, you know."

"Hn." If this strange old lady was going to try and play matchmaker he was making a run for it. Teenage boy or not, he didn't need or want a girl clinging to him like glue. Once this shadow Pokémon ordeal was out the way, he still had things to sort out; things he didn't want company for save for his Pokémon of course.

But that was different; they didn't ask questions because they already knew.

"Fuhohoho, what a coy creature you are!" She chuckled, scratching at her cheek and making her bracelets rattle. "I wonder, Wesley..." The air seemed to change, and she was suddenly serious and somehow looked eternal again. As though she'd lived for so long that time could no longer touch her, wise beyond any human's years and distinctly _in touch_ with the energies of the world. "If we were to trace back your family, what would we find?" He had known his family tree back until a few decades after The Still. Before that there was little trace of any humans, let alone a specific family. It was as though the gods had sent The Still as a means to wipe out the humans for destroying one of their kin. The people had blamed them for it, whether they sent it or not and abandoned them, creating machines to tame the earth and darken the skies, obscuring their forsaken gods' heavens. Accepted faith had become legend, legend myth and myth children's stories.

Still, the people hadn't forgotten the Orre King, despite no trace of the ancient city ever being found. Fennix had been, according to the stories, a city fit for the gods. Refugees from all over the desert travelled for weeks on end to find a better life, finding a home within the towering walls. "Would we, perhaps, find a settler from a faraway land, looking for a new life in the golden desert? Or would we, perhaps, find a prince of even more exotic breeding?" Wes was doubtful of either. It unnerved him to think there could be even the tiniest trace of Pokémon in his blood, that he could be some sort of royalty, heir to Orre. An ex-snagger who had killed other humans begging for mercy on order and stolen beloved partners simply because he could a prince did not make.

True, he'd survived things that had killed others instantly, always had an unusual stroke of good luck when he needed it, an unnatural ability to get out of bad situations with ease, faster reaction times to danger than most of his once fellow criminals, but he thought it just made him a natural born desert-racer.

"_If_ I was related to a Pokémon, how come I'm human? I never remember spontaneously combusting as Ho-oh's are supposed to either."

"The child was born to a human mother. It took her form but its father's traits. You're uncomfortable with idea, I can see that-" Bayleef gave a yelp and Makuhita jumped as the woman surged forward, pinning Wes's wrist to the table in an iron grip, yanking off the glove and turning the pipe over on the back of his hand and pressed it down. The white hot ash hissed as it met skin, but it just felt warm to him. The old woman withdrew, restocking the pipe and relighting it, watching the teen as he stared unmoving at the cooling ashes, not sure how to react. "-but haven't you ever wondered why they went through so much trouble to get _you_ in the first place? How your mother and father started running _before_ they started chasing?" There wasn't even any redness where the ashes had been. "Haven't you ever wondered why people are so frightened to look you straight in the eyes, besides their curious colour? Why the blood you were covered with was mostly your own, yet you were without a scratch and Caroline _couldn't stop laughing_?" His breath caught in his throat and seizing his glove and pulling it back on he stood to leave abruptly.

"You're insane." The blind woman laughed and sat back in the seat, exhaling a long stream of smoke. She had lost that sweet old lady look. She was an ethereal thing that walked in human form, knowing far more than it ever should and whispering dark secrets in mortals' ears.

"Perhaps. _Perhaps_ I just see more than you want me to." She breathed shallow, sighing. "The things I could tell about you, Wesley. The things I could tell _you_ about you...you'll come round, in time." Makuhita and Bayleef followed as the teen strode out of the hazy room and back out into the evening sun, sensing his confusion and anger and sadness. They understood it far more than most, Makuhita reaching up and tugging his sleeve with a 'kuu?' as the sandy haired human glared at the dusty road. Wes looked down at the yellow Pokémon and sighed, smiling finally.

"C'mon, let's find Rui." Taking the heavier bag of groceries from Bayleef and Makuhita's hand, the teen began to wander back to battle square, trying to forget a sad smile playing over and over in his mind, a voice barely a whisper and a dying light in turquoise eyes.

'_It's gonna be okay, in the end. You'll see.' _

* * *

The Venusaur, Feraligatr and Blaziken were the last Dittos standing, the shadow Pokémon defeated and returned to their Pokéballs save for Misdreavus, Quagsire and Noctowl. Espeon and Umbreon stood side by side, panting and tired but unwilling to give up, their vigour and courage seeming to inspire the other trainers' Pokémon to stay on their feet. Emok's Golbat was grounded, wings too wounded to fly, a Golduck and Vigoroth belonging to Divel and Calda looking worse for wear, Golduck's left arm useless and a slash from Sceptile bleeding. Vigoroth was bordering on a rage, huffing and beating his chest, injuries forgotten.

For most, their shadow Pokémon had been their strongest and once it turned on them they had no chance against it. Rui had managed to stand again, leaning on Emok, Divel beside them and Calda in front of Diogo and Leba, the older one comforting the younger as she sobbed.

The woman, earlier revealing herself to be called Delvi, cackled with her troupe still on perfect form behind her.

"This battle is well and truly over kiddies! Hand over all your Pokémon and we'll spare you the humiliation of defeat!"

"'Only cowards know humiliation of defeat, the valiant know nought but victory.'" Rui looked round, recognising his voice easily.

"Ooh! Lover boy's back!" Emok giggled and the redhead attempted to elbow her in the ribs and hiss a 'shut up!' but failed as the Misdreavus' aura flared red and searing pain caught her half way. Delvi stared at Wes, Makuhita and Bayleef strangely unaffected. In fact, they looked almost as though they'd never been calmer.

"Well, well, seems the company just got better," a cackle, "_attack!" _She screeched, Blaziken leaping over Venusaur as giant charged toward Golduck and Vigoroth, the fowl heading for the golden eyed teen. Noctowl took to the air and swooped at Golbat, the poison-type managing to hop backwards and lunge as the bird missed, fangs sinking into his shoulder and locking her jaws, eyes closing tight before hypnosis could take hold.

Feraligatr proved too slow for Espeon, taking a bite out of dusty ground as Umbreon leapt on the blue Pokémon's back, his bites finding their mark. Espeon used confusion, the water-type staggering sideways and seeing triple. Its claws scraped its own back trying to locate Umbreon, its foggy mind aware that the black one was still there.

"Umbreon, Espeon! Finish it off!" Yellow rings glowing, Umbreon jumped back and ran to his lavender brother's side, both facing the reptile and ready to pounce.

"Bre!"

"Espe!" The Feraligatr turned, snarling as it stumbled forward, the two Eeveelutions delivering a final head butt, the Pokémon engulfed in red light as it was returned.

"Golduck! Psychic!"

"Vigoroth, defend Golduck!" Vigoroth gave a bellow and ran forward, distracting Venusaur as Golduck closed her eyes and focused her mind. The grass Pokémon gave a sudden roar and thrashed in pain under the psychic assault, releasing Vigoroth and suffering a critical hit for its mistake, knocking it out immediately. The pink creature was returned, Golduck thrown sideways as Vigoroth bumped into her, a shadow ball dissipating against his chest. Misdreavus became intangible and slipped into the blankly staring Quagsire, its eyes narrowing as it took on a more terrifying look, dark circles under its eyes like bruising and its wide mouth set in a grim smile. The ground cracked under a hard stomp of its foot, concrete and sand flying up in jagged spines as the two Pokémon managed to dive to the sides with mere moments to spare.

Bayleef dodged left of the fire blast, Makuhita punching the ground where the Blaziken had been not a heartbeat before. A vicious uppercut sent him reeling skywards, Bayleef catching him by the foot and throwing him back down at the foe. Raising its arms and digging in its clawed feet, the Pokémon endured the blow, grabbing Makuhita by the scruff of the neck and slamming him headfirst into the concrete. Bayleef seized his chance, vines constricting the fire Pokémon too tight to draw enough air in to breathe fire. Its feathers were burning but he refused to let go, tightening every time it exhaled, constricting its lungs tighter and tighter. Makuhita rose shakily, blood seeping from a wound on his forehead. With blinding speed, he twisted and punched the firebird in the chest, Bayleef releasing as it was thrown backwards into the wall of Battle Square, lumps of grey stone falling from the old, beaten barrier. It tried to stand, managing to do so unsteadily, raising its fists to go another round.

Makuhita and Bayleef were beaten to obliging. A huge pink tongue descended from nowhere with an almighty cry of 'Licki-_tuuuung_!', a pink and white Pokémon attached to it, striking the Blaziken down once and for all.

The possessed Quagsire was next, the bulky Pokémon ridiculously agile as it took out both Quagsire and Misdreavus without them being able to land a single hit. Noctowl was seized, wings pinned as Golbat released, thrown up, caught and then slammed into the ground as Lickitung used its tongue as another limb to flip its body to the other side of the town centre, closer to Delvi. The woman squealed in horror as the tongue gave a loud 'schmeck!' upon contacting her face, leaving her temporarily paralysed; the normal-type snatched the hyper-mode inducing device from her hand and swallowed it, drumming its belly once with a fist and snorting in victory.

Reacting all at exactly the same time in exactly the same way, the troupe hastily returned their Dittos, picked up their leader and dashed away, leaving the square in a mess. The trainers cheered regardless, hugging their Pokémon, Rui bouncing up to Wes and hugging him briefly (she swiftly remembered his personal space 'issues').

"We did it! We won!" A pause in which Rui frowned slightly in confusion. "Wes, you smell like incense..."

"Yeah...-"

"UmBREEEE!" A hurtling black lump collided with him, frantically pawing and snuffle-licking.

"Okay, okay! I missed you too!" The dark-type was put down, the teen crouching to fuss Espeon, checking for wounds.

"Hey Rui!" Emok stood before the group of trainers, Golbat clinging to her shoulders, cocking her head back to motion the younger girl over. Bayleef had picked Makuhita up and carried him back to Wes, the sandy-haired boy glad he'd visited the Pokémart not long ago. "I've had a talk with the guys. We love our Pokémon too much to see them get hurt like this and there's no doubt now that these super strong Pokémon are suffering and we've got no right to make them suffer more just 'cuz we want to look tough. These 'shadow' Pokémon, can you cure them?"

"No, not yet. But we're not going to give up looking for a way to." Emok glanced back at the trainers, Divel nodding.

"Right. Well, we want you to take them. Find a cure. Whatever happened to them wasn't right or fair and we want to give them a second chance at a better life, show them that they don't have to fight to be loved by a trainer. You can see if they're shadow or not, I'll bet you're the one who can find the cure." The purple eyed girl held out a satchel full of what Rui assumed were Pokéballs. "Take 'em. There are loads more in this town and the towns below. You wanna be careful though, not everyone cares about their Pokémon like we do, they won't give 'em up without a fight."  
"Oh, its okay, I'm sure we'll find some way to persuade them to part." Emok smirked with amusement.  
"Head over to the Colosseum, it's got a mini Pokémon Centre and you can suss out these rumours about who's giving shadow Pokémon away."

"Thanks, Emok. We'll find a cure, I promise!"

"And hey, come back and say hi sometimes, yeah? Don't be a stranger!" The girls hugged, the Lickitung watching her closely as she walked back to Wes, the satchel held tight in her arms. Umbreon yipped cheerfully, nuzzling her knee and sniffing at the khaki coloured bag. The round pink Pokémon behind them departed, trotting off into the alleyways. Rui saw the tip of its tail disappear into darkness and felt a little guilty she hadn't thanked the mysterious creature.

"Bree?" Makuhita stood, albeit wobbly, in front of Wes, obediently holding a cloth covered in potion over his forehead. Bayleef wiggled the burnt vines, covered in pale blue burn heal, otherwise unharmed save for a few bruises. Espeon leaned against his master tiredly, large dark eyes fluttering on closing. A street lamp flickered into life above them, tiny insects beginning to whirl around it.

"They're giving us their shadow Pokémon. They want us to find a cure." Wes could see the question in her blue eyes before she even drew breath to ask. "What if there isn't one?" A moment of silence, gold fixed on azure.

"We won't know if we don't look. Tomorrow we'll come back and go to the colosseum. We'll find out where all these shadow Pokémon are coming from and maybe we'll think of something." Wes took the cloth from Makuhita, wiping away the remaining blood with such gentleness Rui almost thought it out of place for a moment. And then she smiled uncontrollably, happy to believe the seventeen-year-old had a warm heart after all (not that she had doubted of course! Just that a reminder was comforting). Espeon looked a little embarrassed at having to be carried, but fell asleep all too quickly with his nose nuzzled into the crook of Wes' neck, the teen holding the young Eeveelution easily with one arm, returning Bayleef and Makuhita to their Pokéballs and leading his two other companions back in the direction of Sheila I. Umbreon sat comfortably beside Rui in the sidecar, the bag of Pokéballs at her feet, the girl adjusting her metallic blue sunglasses just right and grinning up at Wes. Espeon barely roused as he changed humans, large ears flicking once. Despite the sandy haired teen trying to start the machine quietly, she still roared like a beast, cutting the quiet of Pyrite with obscene volume. The psychic didn't wake, no doubt so used to the noise that it may have even been comforting; thus, with the rough, dusty little town at their backs they headed out through the darkening desert to the hotel Wes had mentioned, unaware they would not be travelling alone.

A sandstorm was rolling in, thicker and darker in colour than the one before; sand tainted with the exhaust fumes of high performance black hover bikes and their black clad riders nothing but vague, ghostly shapes in the swirling mass.

"_Twenty minutes. Dead or alive. Before the hotel or not at all. Out."_

* * *

Author's Note: You know when you start to write and your mind starts skipping off through the merry fields of _wtf?_ and won't even come back for a Scooby Snack? And you get like a MILLION ideas and subplots _loving your leg_? I feel your pain. I've had to write out a chronological timeline..._thing_ just to figure out where the hell and what the hell I'm doing. o-o 

Urk. I'm _okay _with this chapter. Don't love it, don't..._hate_ it. Just feels a bit lame. I tweak chapters quite a bit though, so version 1.2 may just creep in unnoticed :3

More huggles! Roll on eleven!


	11. Nightfall

. o b r u m b r a t a .

Author's Note: Goodness...four (five?) months...

: in which time the authoress Mouse-Mouse discovered the joy of several new manga, decided she is _somewhat_ of a virtual cradle-snatcher (Aerrow (Storm Hawks) is NOT fourteen. He's just not.), cried over _Moulin Rouge!_ an estimate of seven times, nearly lost every file on her entire system, got a ridiculously uber new computer that is...absolutely gorgeous, spent an extortionate amount of money on something sexy (but got several special freebies because she's a cruel, evil flirt who takes advantage of innocent nerdy guys working in PC World), obtained a PS3 (see previous event), promptly fell in love with Altair and his love of killing things and Nariko's gloriously red hair, became a second-cousin to a _ten-pound_ baby boy (ouch!), sat an exam she _did.not.want_., mourned the loss of her faithful old Samsung mobile, got annoyed with her silly new one which has an attitude problem and STUPID touch-sensitive buttons, adopted a gang of rooks (bless little Sir Wigglesworth and Captain Crookaburra), was diagnosed with migraines, discovered a new favourite sweet-shop, became an absynthe and a pomegranate _connoisseur_, began driving (her father nearly messed himself in fear. Her father fears little and she's worringly confident with this 'car' creature and awfully fond of the 'go' pedal...) and had a _dramatic_ career shift _yet again._

_This of course is no excuse._

Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo. I'm just...borrowing (yes, let's go with that) the characters and such to try and do the first Pokémon 3D RPG some justice.

* * *

Chapter 11 – Nightfall

Rui shivered, shuffling down further into the sidecar seat with the two Pokémon, stifling a yawn. Umbreon's rings glowed softly, nose twitching as the wind rushed past, fully awake at night even after a long battle during the day. A few stars twinkled in the now black sky, the moon providing just enough light with the few lonely lamps rising out of the sand at the sides of the road. Everything was so quiet, it made Sheila seem even louder and she wondered how far the noise travelled, how far away they could be heard. The thought unnerved her.

The first hint that something was wrong came with a flick of hot wet liquid across her right cheek and the bike swerving sharply. Another crack of gunfire and the 'ping' of a bullet glancing off metal and suddenly it became a cacophony behind them; a dark phantom of sand had dragged itself into roiling form in their wake, black shapes surging forward from its veil which had kept them hidden. Fingertips brushed against the now dry, cold stain on her cheek, colouring pale skin red. Before she could look up at Wes, her mind went white with pain, searing through her upper arm and she cried out, clutching the wound tightly, another bullet whizzing past her ear. Had she not moved a moment previous it would have been whizzing through her. Sheila accelerated, pulling away from the attackers steadily. The ebony motorbikes whirred and then screamed, catching up again and drawing level. Only two out of the five in pursuit were firing, the others just keeping up and cutting off possible escapes. A gun drew level with her, aimed at the Pokémon yipping and spitting balls of shadow at someone right behind them. Rui's eyes hardened and without a moment's hesitation she turned to Wes, noticing a gash in his thigh that was bleeding profusely, and grabbed the gun from his waistband, swirling back to the rider and squeezing the trigger. She was not going to be the one who sat there with a pleasantly vacant smile and needed rescuing every five minutes. Even though her eyes were stinging with tears. The rider at her left dropped their gun and swerved away, leaving her to fight against the pain in her arm and the fierce kickback the gun produced. She wasn't used to firearms. Shifting her sight to the next one, she didn't try to fight the gun's recoil this time, letting her elbows give. She missed by inches, the rider drawing a gun, raising it level with Wes' head and- an almighty boom resounded over the desert, bouncing off canyon walls and making the ground shudder; the sand between Shelia and the riders rose up nearly fifty foot into the air like the head of a gargantuan beast, curving over as gravity reclaimed it and swallowing the pursuers in a single bite. Espeon panted and leaned heavily on the girl, mewling as his eyes closed again, a red haze in his eyes subsiding.

"Bree...umbre?" Umbreon nuzzled his brother's ear. The lavender Pokémon waved his tail slightly.

"...Espe." Umbreon stared at him for a few more moments and fell silent.

The hotel's warm reception lighting flooded the car park, a few lonely floodlights around the high-walled perimeter too harsh to look at. Sheila rumbled into silence, Umbreon jumping out of the sidecar and scampering to the other side, yipping at Wes. Rui climbed out next, holding Espeon awkwardly with one arm and the gun somewhat gingerly. Now out of the heat of battle, her composed mind was terrified of the thing. One wrong move and she could kill someone. She _could_ have killed someone. _She_ could have been killed, or Wes or the Pokémon...she couldn't remember a near death experience that was quite as close as that.

But that was how easy it was. Just point and pull a trigger. They had been under attack; if she had killed one of the riders, would she, _truly_, have felt...guilty? Right now, Rui felt ill, the nauseous pain from the wound not helping. Her blue coat was stained a dark damp purple and the pink fluff had morbid tints.

This was how it must have been for Wes; the life of whoever was on the receiving end didn't matter when all you had to do was aim and fire.

"I should have known they'd come after us. I'm sorry. " The sandy haired teen was still sitting in the hover bikes seat, staring absently at the speedometer.

"We both know we couldn't have stayed in Pyrite. It's not your fault. Besides, we're both alive, aren't we?"

"Hmm..."

"Come on; let's go get a room before you bleed all over the car park." Now she had time to look at him properly in the bright light, another few slashes had appeared as well as dents in Sheila. Wes leaned forward and plucked a bullet out of one of the exhaust pipes, Rui wondering if it was still hot.

"You were hit." He said softly, turning the deformed bit of metal over in a gloved palm.

"Only once. It didn't hit bone, might need stitches..." She inspected as best she could one handed and without a mirror. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't deep, but it was messy. Wes dismounted the bike, fussing Umbreon and taking the pistol.

"Still, you didn't do yourself any favours firing this thing."

"You were busy driving and Umbreon lacks opposable thumbs." He smirked and shook his head.

"At least I don't have to worry about looking after you like a child. Here, I'll take Espeon. It's thanks to him we got away." The psychic sleepily nuzzled under Wes' chin and Rui was sure the teen looked guilty for a moment. Umbreon was staring at his brother, unmoving.

"What are the staff gonna say – about us being bloodied up?" Now the pain was settling back in, pushed away at first by shock and the thrill of the chase, the wound on her arm _felt_ like a bullet wound. She didn't know how Wes was still walking with the gash on his thigh unless it was one of these things you got used to. Could you get used to pain? Or were people's threshold's programmed during childhood when they're busy falling out of trees and tripping over?

"Don't worry, they've seen worse."

"Is it really a good idea to come here? If...you know..._other people_ see us..."

"Breon, umbre." The black and yellow Eeveelution gave a reassuring wag of his tail and padded in front. A young woman escorted them to their room and placed the first aid kit on the small coffee table. The room was comfortable and clean though a little chilly, the redhead attempting to turn the heater on. By staring blankly at the buttons. A warm presence at her back and a black gloved hand reached around her to poke a seemingly random button, the heater instantly humming to life.

"Have you ever had stitches before?"

"Once, when I was little, but I wasn't watching. Too busy trying to cut off the circulation to my grandpa's hand I think." Rui hoped they'd get to Agate soon. Though her grandparents knew where she was, she had been looking forward to visiting.

"Sit." Wes motioned to the stool in the kitchenette, throwing his jacket across the back of a chair, flicking on the light and searching through the green box. Gingerly, Rui pulled off her own jacket, looking closely at the gash. It was fascinating in a very morbid and gory way. Wes sat facing her right, a small bowl of hot water on the counter. After a capful of antiseptic had been added, the teen squeezed out the cloth that had been soaking, cleaning the girl's wound carefully. The redhead stared hard at the tiles of the kitchenette, trying not to flinch too much as the antiseptic stung. "What did you do to need them?"

"Fell off a rock by the river, cut my shin pretty deep. Didn't go climbing those rocks for a while. What about you, ever needed stitches?" A slight smirk as he threaded the curved needle.

"Know much about Desert Racing?"

"Yeah, a little. It's really fast and really dangerous, they won't show it before eight on most channels and the ones that have live reports are specialist channels."

"I did a couple of races before they had to stop. Haven't had good enough conditions for a racing event for a while now." Rui gripped the edge of the stool hard, clenching her teeth as the needle passed through her skin. The antiseptic had numbed it somewhat but it still hurt. "You'll only need two, you were lucky it wasn't too deep." She gave a vague 'nngh' of acknowledgement, relieved when the stitches were tied off.

"But you didn't answer my question."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I've needed a lot more than just stitches. Can't remember most of it, tended to be drugged up to the eyeballs in hospitals, but I just guess from the scars that accumulate where it was numb." He changed the water in the bowl and washed out the cloth as the redhead inspected the stitches. _Pluck_- "Stop picking at them."

"I'm not!" Wes merely gave her a look and she frowned. "What was the worst one you had?" He sat beside her again and thought for a moment as he cleaned a cut on his shoulder. Rui batted his hand away and stole the cloth, insisting she help, relieved she didn't have to give stitches too.

"Well, the biggest scar is from the fourth race I was in. I was fifteen I think...can't really remember; anyway, in the last third of this race, they have a death run through the Black Chasm, just on the edge of the Wastelands. You can't see a thing down there, there's only the sensors to go by. Literally racing blind. There was a magnetic or electrical spike or something and all the ships sensors shorted out. Being stupid and fifteen, I thought I could make it out of the chasm on luck alone, and I almost did, but one of the blitzers ahead had turned back on himself. Our blades clipped and he landed upside down on a ledge somewhere, and I woke up to the smell of burning and metal and a dull realisation that the other blitzer had a second set of blades that had come through the cockpit and torn off the other's hull, leaving me pinned to the. Woke up in hospital three maybe four days later with wires all over the place feeling even worse. Sid, the clan leader, said no one had won the race. They couldn't figure out why all the blitzers' sensors had gone offline. The doctors gave me a long list of what they'd done while operating but I wasn't really listening."

"Wow. Where's the scar?" Wes drew a line with a finger from under his right pectoral round to his back. Almost sternum to spine.

"There's one down the middle of my back too, but that's only faint. Apparently they had to do surgery beyond the actual wound. The water in the bowl had turned pale red, Wes taking the cloth back to dab at his thigh, seeing it was a little deeper than it felt. Not in need of stitches, just _stinging. _He watched it for a moment, sure he could see it healing and then promptly turned his attention away as the old woman's words echoed in the back of his mind.

"We'll have to go shopping." Rui mused.

"What, clothes shopping?"

"Hmm."

"The outlet store downstairs is open until la-"

"Let's go!" Rui seized his wrist.

"Wha-ah!"

* * *

Blue eyes stared blankly at the ceiling for what could have been hours. After three more attempts at escape, one of which ended swiftly as she collapsed at the door, she had decided against trying until her strength had returned, then she could pummel that Swampert with ease.

"You were out for a while." The old man said softly and she watched him painting something with slow careful strokes on a roll of parchment. There was something hypnotic in the movements and she turned her back to them, frustrated that she couldn't make sense of anything. It felt like her emotions were absent. She wanted to feel something, _anything_; wanted to be able to be angry, to hate them for keeping her here like a pet when she was finally free. But there was just nothing. "You do not like Nuko, do you?" She didn't like anything, she couldn't. It hurt – _ached_ – far worse than her wounds. "He is kind and gentle you know. He does not dislike you for fighting him when you escape." She thought of the wound on his neck she'd inflicted the first time they'd fought. It was still there, healing over and marring his otherwise smooth amphibian skin. He'd been careful since not to allow her too close lest she bite some more holes in him. The way she glared, he knew she wouldn't hesitate.

'Nuko...' she thought slowly, mulling over the name. It was a stupid name, she thought, but at least he had a name. She had a number, but she didn't know it. What was a number worth anyway? It wasn't a name, not an identity. You could give a number to anything. Claws tightened into a fist and she turned her face into the pillow.

She wished she'd drowned.

* * *

The sun didn't feel warm on his skin.

His senses were slow and reluctant and his breathing was too slow to be normal. He felt cold. The rough, shaking fingertips against his cheek and wheezing sobs seemed a million miles away. Something wet and sticky was covering the side of his face and making his clothes stick to him, particularly his t-shirt. He groaned at the unpleasant feeling, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand, every joint and muscle aching and every heartbeat getting a little louder in his bloodless mind, to dislodge the dried stickiness that was sealing them. Slowly, blinking against the cold midday sun, gold eyes took in too much red.

"Wesley..." the teen breathed, clutching at the pole through her stomach, another through her shoulder preventing her full movement, pinned into the driver's seat. He wanted to scream. The light was already fading from her eyes but she managed a bloody smile when he sat up, trembling, hysteric over her wounds. "...I thought you were gone..." A breath of laughter interrupted by a grimace and heavy gurgling breaths, lungs filling with blood as his own lungs drained of air. He couldn't breathe.

"C-Caz...I-I-" Each syllable was an effort, like he'd never spoken before.

"-A miracle or something-"

"-What should I do? How-what-"

"-she said you were special-" She was muttering, not strong enough to project her voice further and her breathing was becoming increasingly shallow. The boy was crying uncontrollably, desperately, clutching at the girl's bloodied shirt and yelling.

"Don't go! You can't!"

"Stay safe, Wesley...be good." Her heartbeat was stuttering, slowing...gone. The child screamed until his lungs were sore. Even when he was pried away from the cold body and dragged away from the scene, the boy didn't stop. Even when he was sure his throat was red raw and others clustered the scene, breaking his locked gaze with the girl's lifeless one. Only when Beron's huge arms wrapped around him and he was too breathless and raspy to cry out any more did he settle into whimpers and hoarse anguish.

"It's not _fair_," Beron heaved a grieved sigh. He was so young. He lost so much and he was still so _young_.

"I'm afraid, little Wesley, life rarely is."

"B-but she...she-"

"I know...shhh." The huge man soothed.

'_Stay safe, Wesley...be good.'_

A cold sweat ran over his tanned skin as his eyes snapped open, breathing irregular, hands trembling. The sad smile on Caz's bloodied lips burned into his mind. Scratching his neck and turning the amulet the right way round (it had a tendency to wander off over his shoulder), Wes glanced at the digital alarm clock on the bedside table and huffed through his nose.

Five thirty-three am. There was no way he was going to fall asleep again now.

Feeling clammy, he glanced over at Rui's bed, seeing her still sleeping, as he searched for the clothes he'd bought on the little 'shopping trip' yesterday. Besides, his usual trousers now had a gash in them – _two_ in fact. His thigh gave a painful throb to remind him just how those gashes got there. Quietly shuffling to the bathroom he made a swift detour to find fresh gauze or bandages or whatever it was that he needed to save Rui fussing later and him no doubt turning all shades of red (he had decided after moving around a little and having it bleed in protest that it needed something on it to aid the abnormally fast healing. It had slowed considerably after closing the worst of it), swearing as he stumbled over _something_ deviously lying in wait on the floor. He stood -barely- completely still for a moment, clutching the sideboard of the kitchenette, listening for any sounds of awakening from any of the other occupants. Umbreon snuffled and rolled on his back against Bayleef who waved his leaf unconsciously. Makuhita gave a pleasant 'kuuu' in his sleep. Breathing a sigh of relief, he quickly retrieved the bandages, figuring gauze was likely to be stupid and peel off like plasters, and slipped into the bathroom, fumbling with the lock in the semi-darkness. He wasn't originally intending to turn on the light, but lack of nicotine and caffeine at such an ungodly hour wasn't helping him focus on much and he eventually relented to be able to turn the shower on. The bandage currently wrapped round his thigh had blossomed red and he hissed as it tugged at dried blood, sitting on the closed lid of the toilet seat with the steam already filling the air. The wound had closed little further overnight, it would still take a day or two to heal entirely, maybe sooner. He frowned as the words of an old fortune-teller stirred in his mind, swiftly blocking them out.

Stripping off his shirt and boxers, he closed the shower screen door behind him and was content to stand there for a while, feeling the water running over him soothingly. Resting his forehead against the cool tiled wall he willed his mind to stay empty and just relax in this momentary sanctuary. Here, he wasn't an orphan or an ex-criminal-turned-'hero' or have people out to kill him or a murderer himself; he wasn't even completely real. It was like leaving the world entirely, escaping into the nothingness of a clear mind.

But still...come to think of it, how many people _had_ he killed? All the faces had blurred into just another bloody mess on the ground and up the walls, Caz had advised him not to look at their faces, not to know their names. His first had been some thug with a knife who'd attempted to attack him and Caz and he hadn't even thought clearly before grabbing the fallen weapon and pulling the trigger. Caz would've kicked the guys butt no problem but he'd seen the shiny black surface and known it meant he could help.

The sandy haired teen frowned and concentrated on the cool surface of the tiles. The water made the bullet wounds sting but he ignored it. Cracking open one gold eye he peered at his shoulder, the previous cut a shallow red line. The electric shower hummed and the water sprayed against the glass in an erratic pulse. The sound was rhythmic and after a moment he realised he was beginning to fall asleep.

In the shower of all places.

He really needed some toxic chemicals floating about in his bloodstream. Lots of them.

The living area was still dark when he exited the bathroom some twenty minutes later, clad in dark denim jeans and not bothering with a shirt. No one was up and he didn't feel like wearing one. Switching on the dim desk lamp by the armchair that was nearest the window, he padded back to the bedroom, Rui now on her back with a perplexed expression and made his bed, placing the pile of clothes at the bottom and searching round for the pack of nicotine-flavoured relief and his lighter. Coffee would have to wait. Slumping down in the armchair, Wes stretched and lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply and exhaling with a sigh. Espeon slept peacefully in the chair opposite, looking so small and serene. Neither of the brothers were fully grown adults yet, only seven years old, they would live far longer. He remembered when he'd first met them, newly hatched from their eggs, Caz's Espeon and Umbreon fondly nuzzling their brood. After the accident, he'd never seen her Pokémon again, and no matter how much he asked no one ever told him about them. He'd seen her boyfriend only once afterwards, at her funeral. The man had paid for it, and it had been only a few close friends invited. A gloved hand had rested on his shoulder, a warm embrace when he wrinkled his nose and tried to stop the tears from forming. Tried to be strong for her.

He'd have to visit her grave soon. It had been too long.

'Sir...our escape from the pursuers...' Purple caught gold and the human nodded.

'I guessed. It's more frequent.'

'Yes. Sir, brother thinks it...malevolent.'

'And you?' Espeon's gaze averted and he stayed silent for a while.

'I do not know what to think, Sir.'

* * *

Author's Note: You know...whichever fool invented this 'real life' business should be found and slapped with a wet fish. It's utter tosh and nonsense.

_But!_ _What_ is more frequent? _What_ gave Espeon such sudden power? Is Umbreon right (for once)?

Why was Wes covered in blood but unharmed? Twelve will not take as long. I swear! TT


	12. Darkest Before Dawn

. o b r u m b r a t a .

Author's Note: (is beaten with sticks) waaaaaaaaah, I had exams! Lots of exams and driving lessons and – general badness.

Don't hate meeeeeeee!

Disclaimer: Pokémon belongs to Nintendo. I'm just...borrowing (yes, let's go with that) the characters and such to try and do the first Pokémon 3D RPG some justice.

* * *

Chapter 12 – Darkest Before Dawn

"Wes?" His eyes snapped to the young girl slumped sleepily against the doorframe and blinking at him through hooded eyes. Rumpled and with her hair sticking up in all sorts of directions, Rui looked utterly adorable. Not that Wes would ever admit it of course. She had made some attempt to dress, wearing a pair of cropped jeans she'd bought on the impromptu excursion last night, but the large pyjama shirt had remained. "'s really early, what're you doing up?" She slurred, shuffling to the armchair opposite and curling into it.

"Couldn't sleep." Umbreon gave a sigh, foot twitching as he dreamt. Rui stifled a yawn and her sleepy gaze fell on the bag of Pokéballs on the low coffee table.

"I wonder what Pokémon they had."

"I wonder if any of them are still tame." Blue eyes flicked up to the teen and it suddenly registered in her groggy mind he wasn't wearing a shirt. Her body temperature rocketed and she was glad that Wes was more interested in the fading night sky and his cigarette. She was by no means such a prude that topless men made her panic, but...this was Wes, this was...different. As in, she'd be outright lying if she said she didn't find him attractive. In the dim light she could see a pale scar that was under his right pectoral, reaching from an inch or two from his sternum and round to his back out of sight. Inwardly she flinched, having been told how he got it. There were another few over his arms and one short and thick running up from his collarbone to where his neck met shoulder. Riveting her stare back to the rucksack of Pokéballs, Rui willed for her cheeks to return to their usual temperature and colour. She just knew they were red.

Finishing the cigarette, Wes leaned forwards and opened the rucksack, tipping the balls out onto the table. Six in total.

Espeon's eyes opened as the first rays of sun light peeked over the horizon. Bayleef stirred too as it lit up his leaf. Stretching, the feline psychic sat up, looking between the Pokéballs and Wes. The teen gave a slight nod as though answering an unvoiced question. All the Pokéballs were generic red and white, though a few sported stickers. Umbreon gave a particularly loud snore and Bayleef frowned slightly at him as the dark type rolled against his side.

Picking up a ball with a sticker of a lightning bolt on it, Wes pressed the release button, Espeon tensed and ready to strike whatever emerged. The air turned heavy with static as a Flaaffy cowered away from them into the coffee table and with a frightened bleat shot towards the window. Purple haze encased it before it could throw itself to second-story freedom. The room exploded with sparks, Umbreon yelping and leaping up to cling to Bayleef, the grass type in turn squawked as the claws dug in and jumped to his feet, trying to throw off the dark type, Rui scrambling out of the chair as a vine smacked into the seat, Umbreon losing grip and flying off as Bayleef bucked. Wes and Espeon glanced at one another and returned their attention to the rapidly calming Flaaffy who seemed to be realising that she wasn't being harmed. Rui peeked over the back of the chair at Umbreon who was upside down on the cushion and looked as though he had no idea how he got there. Flaaffy gave a final little squeak and sat still, blinking between the two humans and three Pokémon. Makuhita 'kuu'-ed and rolled over, utterly oblivious.

"Aww...you're so cute!" Rui crouched and hugged the electric sheep who bleated pitifully and clung to the girl. Obviously it hadn't been a shadow Pokémon long.

The next Pokéball had a water symbol on it, the white light fading to reveal a Quagsire, staring blankly around in vague curiosity. With a sigh of 'Quaaaag' she shifted her attention to the redheaded human crouched close and with an equally curious look. "D'aww, you're cute too!" Wes resisted rolling his eyes, Rui found almost every living thing cute (she'd probably find a rock cute too). Like Flaaffy, Quagsire was returned without further ado and the Pokéball placed beside the previous one in a pile dubbed as 'safe'.

The next had no symbols and the air was filled with squawks and frantic fluttering before the light had even died down. Bayleef's vines shot out at the panicked Noctowl and Espeon's eyes glowed softly as the bird was restrained. Rui had jumped back from the scuffle and was rubbing her temples with a pained look. Without hesitation, Wes returned the flying type, guessing that its heart was far more closed.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah...that Noctowl was pretty dark though, I don't think you can use him in battle for a while."

"Do you want to rest?"

"No, I want to see the next one." The light faded and Rui sneezed. And then Umbreon sneezed, louder and with more gusto. Espeon gave some sort of discreet '_choo_' and Wes stifled the one tickling his nose. A Skiploom blinked at them, a slight haze over his back. That would have to be trained to be controlled; often when Hoppip's evolved too quickly, they couldn't control the pollen that Skiploom's possessed. It was easily curable with good training, but terribly sneeze-inducing in the mean time. Seeing Rui seemingly unaffected by the Pokémon (save for the incessant sneezing), Wes deemed the Skiploom 'safe' and returned him, putting him in the 'safe' pile.

The second-to-last was a Slugma who, while not as bad as the Noctowl, was still burning a hole through the floor and had to be swiftly returned.

The very last Pokéball was empty.

The two teens glanced at each other and then back to the empty capsule. And then Wes froze. Breath so cold it could have belonged to Articuno puffed against his neck and a terrible feeling of darkness crept over him. Rui gave a groan and clutched her head. Ice began to crawl up the window panes and Espeon's fur was standing on end.

'Dude...' Umbreon's red eyes were transfixed on something behind him.

'SIR! MOVE!' And he did, quickly as a psybeam blasted over his shoulder. There was a screech of pain and he turned to look for its source only to see a cloud of black disappearing through the ceiling. 'Great', he thought, 'a ghost shadow Pokémon.' Rui whimpered softly, forehead pressed to the floor with Bayleef shifting restlessly beside her, wanting to help but not knowing how.

"Bayleef, stay here with Makuhita and look after Rui," Wes began as he walked into the bedroom, returning a minute later pulling a plain black t-shirt over his head. "Espeon, Umbreon, we're going ghost hunting."

* * *

Umbreon was leading the chase, darting along the halls with his nose high. Up two stories and he stopped abruptly outside a door, whining and pacing. Espeon forced the mechanism open silently and the three crept inside. The chill hit his bare arms first and he moved into the bedroom, following the cold. A soft sighing like wind against cliffs filled the air and Umbreon growled. Hovering over the bed of a small child cuddling a Ralts was a huge black cloud, encasing what Wes could just make out as a Misdreavus. He swore inwardly, motioning to Espeon to attack as the ghost moved closer to the child, face drawing level, mouth opening – it was going to eat him. Before Wes could even think of an order, a sudden blast of psychic energy passed them and swept through the cloud, dispersing it in a single sweep, the Misdreavus glaring wide eyed at them as it escaped through the far wall. The three turned sharply to find a tall imposing Gallade, red eyes fierce in the gloom, blocking the doorway. The lights flicked on and a sleepy looking man peered round the doorframe, eyes shooting open when he spotted Wes. The child was sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes, the little Ralts doing the same. Gallade moved silently past them to the Ralts and the human child. A Gardevoir appeared at the doorway closely followed by a human woman who both swept in and fussed over the children.

"Er..." Wes stopped. How exactly was he supposed to explain why he was in someone else's room very early in the morning with two Pokémon? The man opened his mouth to speak, a frown creasing his young brow. The man didn't manage to utter a single syllable however before his wife had swept between him and the teen.

"So it was you who has those strange Pokémon."

"You know about them too?" She nodded, gesturing to the Gallade and Gardevoir.

"They feel emotions very well, those strange Pokémon have even stranger emotional auras that they can pick up on. That's why Reido woke up so fast and attacked without hesitation." Her eyes rested on Wes, still feeling awkward at being caught. "You brought them here; perhaps you can explain what they are." The ex-snagger fought against making a flippant remark and heading for the door simply because the Gallade looked very strong. As in, may just be able to beat both the brothers together. And then some.

He'd kind of always wanted one too.

With a heavy sigh, Wes scratched his cheek and wondered where to begin and what to edit. They didn't exactly have time to waste. "Oh...I see." The woman said softly to the Gardevoir, and Wes was lost for a moment until he noticed both Espeon and the Gardevoir's eyes glowing in the dim light of the room. "Take Reido with you, and hurry before it attacks another!" The teen needed no further prompting and was following Umbreon at a sprint down the hall again as the dark type caught the ghost's scent. The Gallade kept up with ease, the door ahead that Umbreon was heading to flew open and the two red eyed Pokémon darted through.

A thick fog engulfed the room, black and cold and heavy. It smelt of death. A barrier gave off a high 'shing' as it defended his right side from a dark pulse of energy and an unearthly wail shot past him as the Misdreavus took a hit from one of the team.

"Umbreon – down!" The smoke was rapidly clearing as the ghost escaped through the floor, the floorboards swallowed by thick black shadow as the dark type sunk through the middle. The two psychics and the human followed without pause.

The flux was cold and pressed in from all sides, Wes feeling a moment of creeping fear and sudden blinding heat when it seemed to take too long to drop through the floor and then his boots hit the carpet hard and he crouched to absorb the impact, gritting his teeth against the pain that lanced through his thigh from the healing bullet wound, Umbreon's sharp bark alerting him to the swooping ghost type that Espeon dove straight through.

The Gallade caught it mid-drop with a savage psychic-infused punch, the ghost losing its intangibility as it thudded to the floor. "Don't let it get up!" Umbreon latched on with a bite, pulling the struggling ghost to the ground as Espeon made a direct hit with a psybeam. And then the air shifted and the Gallade dropped into a defensive position, watching the shadow Pokémon silently as it threw Umbreon off with a scream and began to radiate immense waves of power, a terrible dark power that turned the air thin and inspired the deepest dread. "Fight together, cover each other's backs. Its attacks are packing a punch now. Espeon, calm mind." The brothers nodded and the Gallade's ruby eyes flicked back at the teen briefly. The psychic closed his eyes, focusing. A screech and the Misdreavus lunged, Umbreon leaping first. "Flash!" The rings on Umbreon's body shone white for an instant, flooding the room as though it were midday - the Misdreavus squealing as it was caught unaware, reeling back as Espeon followed his brother's attack, "confusion!" The Misdreavus was halted from lashing out blindly as its mind suddenly exploded in colours and it lost which way was up.

Reido's eyes narrowed sharply, slit pupils dilating, white feet silent on the floor as he charged to deliver the final blow, red and white meeting red and yellow as the blade from his elbow glowed a bloody scarlet and black. _"Muramasa!"_ The ruby eyes glinted, the blade brought down with an almighty surge of strength, cracking the floor in several places, blasting the vase on the table by the couch off to the wood, the welcome leaflet and breakfast menu on the coffee table along with numerous other bits of paper flying into the air as the dark clouds and dust settled. Reido rose to his feet, the Misdreavus utterly and completely defeated, eyes closed and body entirely solid. Wes returned it to the Pokéball without a word – creeeeea-_CRACK!_ The Gallade grabbed his collar and wrenched him backwards as the floor gave way and crashed to the room below. Wes was glad so many rooms were empty and that they weren't staying long. It looked expensive to repair. Nodding thanks to the tall Pokémon, the teen edged round the hole and lead the three Pokémon back to Reido's trainers in silence, allowing them to catch their breath. The tanned boy glanced down at the Pokéball in his hand. He sighed inwardly, just knowing that Misdreavus was neither the last nor the most powerful one that was going to give him trouble.

* * *

The woman, who Wes still didn't know the name of, was waiting in the open doorway, looking up with a smile the moment they turned the corner into the hall.

"Good, you're still in one piece. Naiita told me that the evil aura became much stronger and I was worried. It seems it was for nothing." Reido turned to Wes and to the teen's surprise gave a polite bow. Unable to help himself, the sandy haired boy smirked and bowed in return. The woman smiled even brighter. "You must have been a very impressive leader. Here," She took a pen and piece of paper from the telephone stand just inside the doorway and scribbled a number, handing it to him. "If ever you need help, don't hesitate." Glancing at the paper, Wes noticed her name.

"Thanks Emily." She laughed lightly.

"You're welcome, Wes." Eyeing the psychic inside the room, being greeted by the Gardevoir with foreheads pressed together and closed eyes, the teen turned to leave.

'Sir, I can sense that Rui is faring better now.' Umbreon yawned and pawed at Wes' leg, the ex-snagger scooping the dark type up with ease and following the lavender brother back to their room. '...Sir?'

"Hmm?"

'...Never mind.'

'I'm listening.' The psychic was silent for a long time until they were outside their room.

'I hesitate to believe it evil...but that sheer intensity and might that it gives me...it is unholy, Sir.' Wes bit back a chuckle. What in Orre was holy anymore? What in Orre could possibly be called pure?

Gold eyes fell on Rui who was now fully dressed and sitting in one of the chairs with a glass of water clutched tightly in one hand and massaging her temples with the other. The Pokéball gave a dull 'clack' on the table as Wes set it down, hands in pockets as he watched the redhead frown at it.

"You ok?"

"Yeah..." She replied absently, looking up with a tired smile. Dawn had finally broken and the sun was lazily rising into the sky, casting the room in a gold glow. Given the chance, he wouldn't mind going back to sleep after all. Umbreon was set down in the chair opposite the sleepy girl.

"We should set out for Pyrite soon, get there early for a full day 'exploring'," Rui nodded, leaning forward and gingerly putting Misdreavus' Pokéball in the knapsack with the rest.

"Hey Wes," She called after him as he wondered into the bedroom to pack up any remaining stuff.

"Yeah?"

"We're going to the colosseum today, aren't we?"

"Planning to." He appeared in the doorway again, a second knapsack over his shoulder. "Why?"

"Just wondering..." he frowned a little but said nothing. The girl was acting off. "Wes," gold eyes looked back at her patiently, "Please don't use Misdreavus for a while."

"I have no intention to. Not unless I get a Gallade." The redhead blinked in confusion. Umbreon took it upon his sleepy self to try and explain. Which was of course utterly lost as Espeon didn't allow the link and told her himself in much more sensible terms. Umbreon's version contained a lot of 'PWOOSH!' and 'FWOOM!' and random evil cackles as Misdreavus' voice which Espeon curtly blocked.

Bayleef laughed at the psychic's aloof expression as the dark brother rolled off the chair and yipped what could be translated as an 'oi!'. Makuhita was still asleep.

* * *

Author's Note: I haven't been in Pokédom for aaages, has anything brilliant and amazing and fun happened? Anything at all? (Is anyone still out there? D': )

Muramasa, like Flux, is a dark type move I made up because Night Slash just doesn't have enough of a 'WOW' effect. The legend of Muramasa swords is that they must draw blood before being sheathed again, to the point where the wielder may even have to cut themselves or commit suicide to do it. So, kind of a Hi-Jump-Kick move with more 'ooh', I guess... :d

Gallade was included because he absolutely rocks my socks (and Reido and Naiita are from a doujin/comic I was working on months ago when I got a Gallade of Diamond), so look out for other fourth (fifth? Sixth? O.o) gen monsters lurking. There _will be_ a Luxray. Because they're also made of awesome.


End file.
